Authors: Jamaica Kincaid
Talk Stories (5 page)
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We recently got an early-morning phone call from our friend Weldon Arthur McDougal III. He is the energetic promo man for Philadelphia International Records, the Philadelphia-based, black-owned record company, and he reminded us that once in a conversation with him we had said that, along with Brenda and the Tabulations, Jay and the Techniques, and Martha and the Vandellas, Archie Bell and the Drells, the black singers from Houston, Texas, had the best name for a singing group, and that their two hit songs from the late sixties, “Tighten Up” and “I Can't Stop Dancing,” had remained in the best-for-dancing category. “Well,” McDougal said, “Archie Bell and the Drells are now with us. They have a new album, and I'm bringing them to town tomorrow to meet New York, and then I'm throwing a party for them at Leviticus.”
At noon the next day, with McDougal, we hopped over to the Statler Hilton hotel, where Archie Bell and the Drells were staying, to get a daylong view of them. McDougal, who
was dressed from head to foot in black, introduced us aroundâfirst to Archie Bell and then to Willie Parnell, James Wise, and Lee Bell (Archie's brother), who make up the Drells. When we were introduced to Archie Bell, he said “Hey, what's happening, ain't
nothing
to it” in one breath. Later, we learned that this is his favorite way of greeting people. We focussed on Archie Bell, because the Drells deferred to him, and because, while the Drells wore a collection of patchwork-denim and polyester outfits, Archie Bell was wearing a smart-looking leisure suit. It was beige, with deep-brown stripes running down the pants legs, and the jacket had darts and tucks that made it fit snugly. After telling us how glad he was to be in New York, he said, “I would like to mention that we have one of the finest tailors in the country. He's from Houston, Texas, and his name is Johnny Burton. He makes clothes for people like the Temptations and James Brown. He made this suit I am wearing, and he made the suits we are wearing on our album coverâthe ones with the little bells all over them.” Then Archie Bell said, “We have been waiting so long to come back. When I had those hit songs âTighten Up' and âI Can't Stop Dancing,' I was in the Army, so I couldn't do any entertaining. When I got out, I was cold. James and Willie and me have been working since we were in high school. We lived in the same neighborhood and went to the same high school. My brother Lee joined the group in 1969. But all the time we didn't have any hits we were working. We've been on the road for three hundred and twenty days out of a year. Sometimes three hundred and fifty.
We worked the South a lot. My mother always told us that we could do anything. She has seven children, all of them boys. You ever heard of Ricky Bell? He is a top college football player, and he is my brother.”
was dressed from head to foot in black, introduced us aroundâfirst to Archie Bell and then to Willie Parnell, James Wise, and Lee Bell (Archie's brother), who make up the Drells. When we were introduced to Archie Bell, he said “Hey, what's happening, ain't
nothing
to it” in one breath. Later, we learned that this is his favorite way of greeting people. We focussed on Archie Bell, because the Drells deferred to him, and because, while the Drells wore a collection of patchwork-denim and polyester outfits, Archie Bell was wearing a smart-looking leisure suit. It was beige, with deep-brown stripes running down the pants legs, and the jacket had darts and tucks that made it fit snugly. After telling us how glad he was to be in New York, he said, “I would like to mention that we have one of the finest tailors in the country. He's from Houston, Texas, and his name is Johnny Burton. He makes clothes for people like the Temptations and James Brown. He made this suit I am wearing, and he made the suits we are wearing on our album coverâthe ones with the little bells all over them.” Then Archie Bell said, “We have been waiting so long to come back. When I had those hit songs âTighten Up' and âI Can't Stop Dancing,' I was in the Army, so I couldn't do any entertaining. When I got out, I was cold. James and Willie and me have been working since we were in high school. We lived in the same neighborhood and went to the same high school. My brother Lee joined the group in 1969. But all the time we didn't have any hits we were working. We've been on the road for three hundred and twenty days out of a year. Sometimes three hundred and fifty.
We worked the South a lot. My mother always told us that we could do anything. She has seven children, all of them boys. You ever heard of Ricky Bell? He is a top college football player, and he is my brother.”
At a quarter to one, McDougal, who had been busy all this time taking pictures, announced that it was time to make the first stop. The first stop was an autographing session at the record store Disc-O-Mat, which was a few blocks away from the hotel, and for the next nine hours this is what Archie Bell and the Drells did: At Disc-O-Mat, they autographed fifty records and about twice that number of publicity stills, and Archie Bell also autographed pictures of Ricky Bell. At a quarter past two, they went to Leviticus for rehearsal. At four oâclock, they left Leviticus and taxied up to the midtown offices of
Cash Box,
the music trade magazine, for an interview with a young reporter, who asked them questions like “Do your producers make you feel comfortable in the studio?” and “I'll confess that I'm a little ignorant about what you guys have been up to, so how about if we kind of clear this up?” On their way out, they met Steve Ostrow, the man who compiles the weekly album charts for Cash Box, and he told them that their new album had just débuted on the charts at No. 183. At five o'clock, the Drells took a taxi to their hotel, and Archie Bell went off to a Nunn Bush shoe store to buy a pair of shoes. At half past six, they were back at Leviticus for the party, wearing the same clothes they had been wearing earlier. There were lots of black people at Leviticus. There were even some easily recognizable black people there. We picked out
Lou Rawls, the singer; David Ruffin, the former lead singer of the Temptations; Don Covay, the important R. & B. singer from the sixties; and Harold Melvin, of Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes. At eight oâclock, Archie Bell and the Drells disappeared into the dressing rooms at Leviticus to change into their show clothes. At half past eightâshow timeâthey reappeared, and they were quite incredible to see. They were wearing identical white skin-tight jumpsuits that had gold studs and brown bells running down the sides, and tight-fitting white bolero jackets over the jumpsuits, and white platform shoes. They sang most of the songs from their new album, plus “Tighten Up” and “I Can't Stop Dancing.” The audience was very pleased, and cheered and danced. Archie Bell was very pleased. He said to us,”I could do this all day, all night.”
Cash Box,
the music trade magazine, for an interview with a young reporter, who asked them questions like “Do your producers make you feel comfortable in the studio?” and “I'll confess that I'm a little ignorant about what you guys have been up to, so how about if we kind of clear this up?” On their way out, they met Steve Ostrow, the man who compiles the weekly album charts for Cash Box, and he told them that their new album had just débuted on the charts at No. 183. At five o'clock, the Drells took a taxi to their hotel, and Archie Bell went off to a Nunn Bush shoe store to buy a pair of shoes. At half past six, they were back at Leviticus for the party, wearing the same clothes they had been wearing earlier. There were lots of black people at Leviticus. There were even some easily recognizable black people there. We picked out
Lou Rawls, the singer; David Ruffin, the former lead singer of the Temptations; Don Covay, the important R. & B. singer from the sixties; and Harold Melvin, of Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes. At eight oâclock, Archie Bell and the Drells disappeared into the dressing rooms at Leviticus to change into their show clothes. At half past eightâshow timeâthey reappeared, and they were quite incredible to see. They were wearing identical white skin-tight jumpsuits that had gold studs and brown bells running down the sides, and tight-fitting white bolero jackets over the jumpsuits, and white platform shoes. They sang most of the songs from their new album, plus “Tighten Up” and “I Can't Stop Dancing.” The audience was very pleased, and cheered and danced. Archie Bell was very pleased. He said to us,”I could do this all day, all night.”
â
February 9
,
1976
February 9
,
1976
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As the weather around here becomes more unbearable, little ways to divert yourself can become important. Nighttime is not a problem. You can take care of that by accepting every invitation that comes your way. Midday is another matter. What to do about lunch? So far, we have tried having it with different sets of people; we have tried having it with the same set of people; we have tried having it alone; we have tried not having it at all. Just the other day, we tried having our lunch while watching a Theatre at Noon production of Maria Irene Fornes' play
Dr. Kheal
at St. Peter's Church, which is on East Fifty-sixth Street, and this new way of having lunch was far better than anything else we had tried.
Dr. Kheal
at St. Peter's Church, which is on East Fifty-sixth Street, and this new way of having lunch was far better than anything else we had tried.
There are two shows put on every weekdayâone at a quarter past twelve and the other at a quarter past one. We took the early show. We got to St. Peter's at noon sharp, taking our lunch along, as we had been given to understand we should do. At the door, we learned that there was no admission
charge but that donations were invited. We made our donation, walked in with a sandwich (ham salad) and a soft drink (ginger beer), and hoped for a good time. We got a good time. First of all, the theatre is a dimly lighted room with about fifteen medium-sized round tables, a red tablecloth on each table, and four chairs to each table. When we got there, about ten couples were already seated and were unpacking or eating their lunches. It was very cozy and comfortable-looking. We thought we would wait until the show got under way before we had our lunch, and then we were sorry, because we laughed so much. The show began with a man reading this from a piece of paper: “It is with great pleasure that I welcome Dr. Kheal to Theatre at Noon today. With this visit, Dr. Kheal is completing a cross-country lecture tour, which has taken him to more than fifty universities and colleges. After this lecture Dr. Kheal will be returning to Harvard, where he will resume his position as Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Mathematics. I am proud to introduceâDr. Kheal.” Dr. Kheal came onstage. Dr. Kheal, played by a talented young actor named Richard Hamburger, was wearing formal evening clothes and white shoes with red shoelaces. He looked quite comical. Then he started to act quite comical. He walked over to a blackboard that was already on the stage, drew a large square on it, and wrote in the square lecture topics like “On Poetry,” “On Ambition,” “On Energy,” and “On Truth.” All in all, Dr. Khealâor Richard Hamburgerâwas a funny man. Also, he said very funny things. The thing he said that we liked best
was on the subject of energy. He said, “How does one do a million small things? One at a time. How does one do a million big things? One at a time. How does one do one big thing? Never.”
charge but that donations were invited. We made our donation, walked in with a sandwich (ham salad) and a soft drink (ginger beer), and hoped for a good time. We got a good time. First of all, the theatre is a dimly lighted room with about fifteen medium-sized round tables, a red tablecloth on each table, and four chairs to each table. When we got there, about ten couples were already seated and were unpacking or eating their lunches. It was very cozy and comfortable-looking. We thought we would wait until the show got under way before we had our lunch, and then we were sorry, because we laughed so much. The show began with a man reading this from a piece of paper: “It is with great pleasure that I welcome Dr. Kheal to Theatre at Noon today. With this visit, Dr. Kheal is completing a cross-country lecture tour, which has taken him to more than fifty universities and colleges. After this lecture Dr. Kheal will be returning to Harvard, where he will resume his position as Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Mathematics. I am proud to introduceâDr. Kheal.” Dr. Kheal came onstage. Dr. Kheal, played by a talented young actor named Richard Hamburger, was wearing formal evening clothes and white shoes with red shoelaces. He looked quite comical. Then he started to act quite comical. He walked over to a blackboard that was already on the stage, drew a large square on it, and wrote in the square lecture topics like “On Poetry,” “On Ambition,” “On Energy,” and “On Truth.” All in all, Dr. Khealâor Richard Hamburgerâwas a funny man. Also, he said very funny things. The thing he said that we liked best
was on the subject of energy. He said, “How does one do a million small things? One at a time. How does one do a million big things? One at a time. How does one do one big thing? Never.”
â
February 16
,
1976
February 16
,
1976
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We have become interested in a young black woman singer named Deniece Williams. We have become interested in her because she sings in a soft, sexy voice. It is a voice we haven't heard from young black women singers since the early sixties, when young black women singers sang in groups. We first heard Deniece Williams on the car radio. She was singing a song called “Free.” She sang, “But I just got to be me, free, free-ee-ee.” She sang most of the song in a clear soprano. Then, when she got to the “free-ee-ee” part, she shifted her voice upwardâway, way up. It seemed effortless, and completely cool.
We saw Deniece Williams the other day. She was in town performing in a concert at the Felt Forum, where she was billed third in a lineup of four acts. We visited her in her dressing room shortly before she went onstage. A few friends and aides were with her. She wore a tight-fitting aqua-blue satin jump suit and gray satin platform shoes. She told us that
she is from Gary, Indiana; that she has been living in Los Angeles for the last four years; that she has been singing since she was five; that she started singing in church; that when she was seventeen years old she had a job as a salesgirl in a record store, would sing along with the records, and began to think of singing professionally; that years ago she recorded two singles for a label called Toddlin' Town; that she sang backup for Stevie Wonder for three years; and that she now writes all the songs she sings.
she is from Gary, Indiana; that she has been living in Los Angeles for the last four years; that she has been singing since she was five; that she started singing in church; that when she was seventeen years old she had a job as a salesgirl in a record store, would sing along with the records, and began to think of singing professionally; that years ago she recorded two singles for a label called Toddlin' Town; that she sang backup for Stevie Wonder for three years; and that she now writes all the songs she sings.
As she told us these things, she mixed some hot water, lemon juice, and honey in a cup. Then she went into the bathroom and closed the door. From where we were, we could hear her sing in her upper register, “God is truly amazing.” She sang this over and over, sometimes stretching out and emphasizing the word “amazing.” Then she sang some la-la-la-las in the upper register. When she came out of the bathroom, she said “Yuk.”
Half an hour before she was due onstage, her road manager told her that, because of scheduling confusion, she would have to go on second and could do only a twenty-minute set, instead of thirty-five, as she had expected.
“Only twenty minutes?” she asked.
“Only twenty minutes,” he said. “What are you going to drop?”
“I guess I'll drop âSlip Away' and the encore,” she said.
After he left, she said, “I only got twenty minutes. I don't care. I'm not going to feel bad about it. Nothing is going to make me feel bad tonight.”
Her bandâfive young men and a young woman, who was the backup singerâcame in, and she told them what songs they would be doing. She said, “We'll do âIt's Important to Me,' not stopping but straight into âThat's What Friends Are For,' and then I stop and talk a little, and then we do' 'Cause You Love Me, Baby,' âIf You Don't Believe,' and âFree,' and that's it.” She asked all the people in the room except the members of the band to leave, so that she and the band could pray before they went onstage. The songs she sang onstage were not as familiar to us as “Free,” but then she sang that, too, and it was even better than listening to it on the car radio.
â
April 4
,
1976
April 4
,
1976
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Every year, fifty high-school seniors, representing our fifty states, compete in a televised national Junior Miss contest, sponsored by Eastman Kodak, Kraft Foods, and Breck Shampoo. The winner, America's Junior Miss, receives a ten-thousand-dollar scholarship to the college of her choice. Two days before New York's Junior Miss, Dawn Fotopulos, of Queens, was scheduled to go to Mobile, Alabama, to compete in the Junior Miss finals, she came over to Manhattan, accompanied by her mother, Mrs. William Fotopulos, and had her picture taken by the
News,
had a long lunch at the St. Regis, and was interviewed on three radio talk shows. When we first saw Miss Fotopulos, who is just under eighteen, she was standing near a rack of clothes in a shop on East Fifty-third Street, obliging the News photographer with the many poses he wanted her to assume. She was wearing a green wool blazer, green-and-white patterned knit slacks, and a white blouse. She has blue eyes, ruddy cheeks, and long light-brown
hair that flips up around her shoulders. Except for a trace of mascara, lip gloss, and blue eye shadow, she wore no makeup, and except for a small pair of pearl earrings she wore no jewelry. After taking the shots in the store, the photographer told Miss Fotopulos that he wanted some shots of her walking down Fifth Avenue. On Fifth Avenue he stood her a few yards in front of him and told her to walk toward him nowâfirst slowly, then fast, then slowly again. He sat her on one of the large planters that line the Avenue, tilted her head forward, and told her to stay in that position. He told her to gaze into a shopwindow displaying an assortment of women's shoes. He told her to gaze into another shopwindow, which had an assortment of women's sports clothes. Altogether, the photographer took thirty-six pictures of Miss Fotopulos, and for every single one of them she smiled.
News,
had a long lunch at the St. Regis, and was interviewed on three radio talk shows. When we first saw Miss Fotopulos, who is just under eighteen, she was standing near a rack of clothes in a shop on East Fifty-third Street, obliging the News photographer with the many poses he wanted her to assume. She was wearing a green wool blazer, green-and-white patterned knit slacks, and a white blouse. She has blue eyes, ruddy cheeks, and long light-brown
hair that flips up around her shoulders. Except for a trace of mascara, lip gloss, and blue eye shadow, she wore no makeup, and except for a small pair of pearl earrings she wore no jewelry. After taking the shots in the store, the photographer told Miss Fotopulos that he wanted some shots of her walking down Fifth Avenue. On Fifth Avenue he stood her a few yards in front of him and told her to walk toward him nowâfirst slowly, then fast, then slowly again. He sat her on one of the large planters that line the Avenue, tilted her head forward, and told her to stay in that position. He told her to gaze into a shopwindow displaying an assortment of women's shoes. He told her to gaze into another shopwindow, which had an assortment of women's sports clothes. Altogether, the photographer took thirty-six pictures of Miss Fotopulos, and for every single one of them she smiled.
At lunch at the St. Regis, Miss Fotopulos had roast beef, lyonnaise potatoes, salad with French dressing, a glass of milk, and fruit cup. She said that she had never before been in a place like the St. Regis, or had lyonnaise potatoes. She said, “I feel it's a dream. I feel I'm Cinderella or something. All this special treatment. Everybody has been treating me as if I were something special. It's so much fun. When I entered this contest, I had no idea all this would happen. I found out about the contest in
Seventeen,
and I wrote away for the forms. I thought I wouldn't win, because I didn't have a local sponsor. I was a candidate at large. But this is not like a beauty contest. You don't have to wear a bathing suit. It mostly has to do with scholarship and poise and grace. I have
a ninety-five-point-six average. I want to study medicine; and the money that I have already won will help me to do that.”
Seventeen,
and I wrote away for the forms. I thought I wouldn't win, because I didn't have a local sponsor. I was a candidate at large. But this is not like a beauty contest. You don't have to wear a bathing suit. It mostly has to do with scholarship and poise and grace. I have
a ninety-five-point-six average. I want to study medicine; and the money that I have already won will help me to do that.”
Mrs. Fotopulos showed us a picture of her daughter wearing a long white sleeveless gown and carrying a bouquet of roses as she walked down a runway at the New York State contest, held in Syracuse, in February. Mrs. Fotopulos said, “She's made us so proud of her. You know, she has received a letter of congratulations from our state senator, and Governor George Wallace has sent her a letter welcoming her to the State of Alabama.”
At the radio talk show we sat in on, the hostess told her the theme of the day: “Whether Our Idea of Mr. Right Has Changed or Not.” She asked Miss Fotopulos questions like “Do you cook?” (Miss Fotopulos said yes), “Do you believe in Mr. Right?” (Miss Fotopulos said she thought that that might be a possibility), “Do you know who Bess Myerson is?” (Miss Fotopulos identified her as Miss America of 1945), “Do you have a pair of white gloves?” (“Well, I have to, because of the pageant”), and “Have you ever been to a prom?” (Miss Fotopulos said she hadn't).
Then the hostess asked Miss Fotopulos, “How do you feel about kissing?”
When Miss Fotopulos didn't reply immediately, the hostess said, “You're representing New York State and you don't have a stand on kissing?”
“Well, that's kind of unfair,” Miss Fotopulos said. “I would never ask
you
how
you
feel about kissing.”
you
how
you
feel about kissing.”
â
May 10, 1976
May 10, 1976
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