>I sang this song forty years ago on Community Auditions, a low-rent Boston precursor of American Idol. But Debbie makes me realize why I didn’t win.
About Roger SuttonRoger Sutton has been the editor in chief of The Horn Book, Inc, since 1996. He was previously editor of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books and a children's and young adult librarian. He received his M.A. in library science from the University of Chicago in 1982 and a B.A. from Pitzer College in 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @RogerReads.
>It was all about the hair, wasn’t it?
>Someone give that woman a hammer!
-s
>Ak!
I think she’s actually managed to reverse the meaning of the song – I didn’t think that was possible!
Judith
>gotta love the skirt-swish move.
>Why aren’t you guys commenting on the fact that Roger was on Community Audtions????
“Star of the day, who will it be/
Your vote may hold the key/
It’s up to YOU (fingers pointing at the TV audience)
Tell us WHO
Will be star of the day!”
Roger, if only we’d known you then, we would have all voted for you by the now adorably passe method of sending in postcards.
>I bet Pete Seeger and Lee Hays must have heaved when they took in what had been done to their song.
What I want to know is: Roger, did you have any of those great dance moves? I liked the spinning guy, myself.
That clip made me laugh out loud! I don’t know which was funnier–Debbie, trying to really “rock” it, or those nutty dancers. I remember those “cocktail” dresses, and the hair, and whole the decorative motif. I certainly embraced that lounge look at some point when I was very young.
Of course, now it has been so long, I would do my hair and put a dress on like that in a heartbeat–if I could….
>My favorite was the quartet of backup singers. Which Edward Eager book is it where the dad stands with the other men and sings “chickadee tidbits”?
>I thought that was wretched, but I couldn’t stop watching.
I often think American Idol is so popular because people miss variety shows. Then I see something like this and go, “No, we don’t.”
>So where’s the YouTube clip of Pete Seeger in a yellow sharkskin suit singing Mack the Knife?
>Good for you for going on Community Auditions, Roger. I never had the nerve (never mind being able to sing or dance).
>I still think Roger’s was better. And he had a wicked groovy outfit as well.
of course, i’m a bit biased.