John's arrival at the Drive-In Theatre added another dimension to the GM Connection. A dimension reminiscent of the old television series The Twilight Zone. Many of John's actions were similar to the plots of those episodes; where you were unsure what was going on-- or what might happen. And what you perceived-- was rapidly transformed into something totally unexpected. Where John could glance at you one second with his innocent, puppy dog eyes, and neatly combed hair, and then immediately bend over in public and moon a customer as they entered the Drive-In Theatre. All in the blink of an eye and for no apparent reason. He was like a storm front perched on the horizon, not knowing where or when it would strike or how severe it might become. But it would arrive sooner or later.
An element which caused Glen and Mike much discomfort as they explained to the Manager what prompted John's actions and why he shouldn't be fired. And how important he was to the overall operation of the theatre. Since Glen was assigned the head ramp-attendant, that responsibility fell more on his shoulders than Mike's. And Glen could invent more creative solutions than Bill Gates at Microsoft. I often marveled at his resourcefulness.
Glen explained the mooning incident as John's belt breaking and his oversized trousers falling to his knees. In a hasty retreat to cover his embarrassment he nearly fell trying to return his pants to their proper fitting......Glen never explained his visible bare bottom during the incident or how his oversized pants could be loose at the waist and skin tight over the thighs. Stretch Levi's were the fad with a snug, tapered fit at the hips to taut on the ankles.
Another time, John was monitoring the intermission crowd inside the concession stand when he got into a verbal altercation with a customer and called him an Asshole! Of course this was reported to the Manager. Glen later explained how the customer must of misunderstood. He was in the concession stand during the occurrence and John had called the customer a Rascal-- not an Asshole! That explanation was nothing short of brilliant.Since we worked six nights a week, there was ample time for our friendships to mature and it was during one of those warm Summer evenings the "Neurons" were conceived. A rock & roll group that would practice on weekends or any time they could get together. A rock & roll group with aspirations as bountiful as their youthful misconception they could change the World. Could make a difference. Could hit the bigtime. Why Not? Someone had to do it!
To be truthful, the Neurons were as far from showcasing their talents as medical technology was from creating a cure for cancer. But when Glen announced one evening the group would perform Saturday afternoon at Sam's Soda Fountain; all of us entertained visions of grandeur. It was time to unveil the "Neurons" to the World!
We were so excited no one thought to inquire how much it paid. Good thing! We discovered later we were playing for free. Glen explained it as an opportunity to gain exposure. Our 15 minutes of glory to declare to the Universe who the "Neurons" were. And we might even get discovered in that soda fountain delighting everyone with our unique rendition of the Beatle hit "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "Shelia" by Tommy Roe....
It was Saturday morning before we returned to Planet Earth and discovered our stomachs were tied into more knots than Harry Houdini and his famous escape acts. But we were committed and determined.
Sam's Soda Fountain was a local favorite where many of our classmates met on weekends for ice cream and school discussions. Some good--some not so good. But many of the girls we aspired to meet were frequently there. And an opportunity to impress them was of paramount importance.
We placed our equipment in the Southwest corner of Sam's on a platform that rose about 3 feet above the floor. Curved on the outside edge, it fit into the corner like a miniature baseball diamond. Sam occasionally played records for entertainment but the Neurons were his first live group. The stage area was confining but we managed to squeeze our equipment together, conserve space, and center our one microphone stand on the outside edge of the platform.
The first few songs started off fine until Sam informed us to turn the volume down. For some reason John decided to make up for the decreased volume by increasing his movements on an already cramped stage. Lead Singer for the next two songs, he rapidly started to get into the music. He Stepped left--then quickly stepped right; he tilted his head up, then down. He increased his movements and swung his guitar back and forth from side to side to the beat of the music. Then faster. Then faster. Until it moved twice as fast as the rhythm! I glanced at Glen and Mike; they returned my look with puzzled stares of their own. John was like a man possessed leading his own band of demons! I had no idea what kind of statement he was trying to make--or if he remembered we were even there.
I finally realized John had locked eyes with a cute blonde from school and his entire performance was to impress only her. Glen and Mike noticed the blonde but knew her boyfriend was insanely jealous. Obviously John was not privy to that information. Mike leaned over and whispered to Glen "think we should tell him?" Glen shook his head and just said "no". Talk about a couple of Assholes--I mean Rascals!
John appeared to be in seventh heaven as he continued his solo feat while the sexy blonde smiled and teased him on with her flirtatious eyes. An action that would have been acceptable except for one tiny detail; her boyfriend caught John's eyes as they drooled over his girlfriend. About that time, John finally noticed her boyfriends glare and became extremely nervous.
He was a football player on the Varsity team. A very big football player. Not the friendly or forgiving sort. He moved quickly toward John, his fists clenched and his mouth mumbling words we were taught by our parents to never say. Never! As the football player stepped closer, John started to backup on the stage. There wasn't much room anyway, and his backward movement only made matters considerably worse. We couldn't see John's face but we knew it was filled with terror! His movement had stopped, his guitar hung lower on his hip than normal, his voice began to quiver and his eyes became fixated on the front door as if searching for the quickest exit he could discover.
What followed became a source of considerable amusement for years to come. John backed up into the neck of Glen's guitar-- which goosed him. Which caused John to leap forward into the microphone stand and knock it from the stage. Johns leap left his feet teetered on the bandstand edge as he instinctively reached to catch the microphone stand and regain his balance in the same motion; which failed and he fell forward from the stage as his guitar swung from his hip. The guitar cord stretched to its limit and tugged on the amplifier, which toppled to the floor. As it struck it roared like a jet crashing the sound barrier. The roar boomed through the soda shop and scared the waitress who dropped her tray of malts. The dancing couples slipped on the ice cream and screamed as they fell. All this turmoil transpired in seconds and created the most unique version of "Rock Around The Clock" ever played. A version never duplicated.
As for John, no one in the band saw him exit-- don't know how he left-- or even where he went. We just knew he was gone! Our concert was terminated immediately by Sam who has never allowed a live band to perform again.
It was Monday at school before any of us saw John. But we learned how susceptible he was to a goose. A bit of information that would come in handy later. Yet I often wonder if a future member of the rock group "KISS" was in that crowd. Looking back in retrospect, the onstage mutilation of musical equipment became popular during concerts shortly after that experience. As for John when he learned of Glen & Mike's silence concerning the blonde and her boyfriend...well that's the subject of another Escapade....