Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
It’s not difficult to understand why the BoDeans have such a devout fan base. They’re not only good, but they’ve been consistently good since they released their debut album 10 years ago.
From his punk days in the Nuns to his work in the pseudo-country band Rank & File, Alejandro Escovedo made a name for himself as an expressive guitarist who was content to stay out of the limelight. During his tumultuous career, the singer-songwriter’s been a band member, the band leader and, now, a solo artist. He returns to the Chicago area for a performance tonight at FitzGerald’s.
“I was your typical bossy older brother,” Charlie Sexton said, laughing. “But Will really loved music. Soon after learning bass, he switched over to play lead guitar, too. I tell him a little bit of what I learned, but he’s my younger brother and I don’t want to give him a hard time. So I usually wait until he asks for my advice before I go butting into his life.”
Actor Stephen Caffrey was born in Cleveland, attended high school in five different states and now divides his time between Los Angeles and New York. But ask him where home is, and he’ll say Chicago. “My father was in a business that moved him around a lot, and as a result I was often uprooted,” Caffrey said. “The longest I’ve ever been in one place was the eight years I spent in Chicago. It’s hard to describe what bouncing around from place to place is like to people who haven’t experienced it. But eventually you end up just grabbing hold of home, and for me that’s Chicago.”
After spending most of his film career portraying weirdos or villains, Chris Sarandon finally gets to be the leading man – a role he said finds more comfortable. “I’ve been the bad guy on screen for so long it’s difficult for me to remember whether I should wear a white or black hat in the morning,” Sarandon joked in a recent interview. “I’m more at ease now playing the hero, but I still approach every part as a character role. I think you put more into it than if you just play the bland, good guy.”
A woman wearing nothing more than a bikini bottom and a tan walked past a group of men. Instead of trying to get her phone number, they quickly and politely asked her to leave. As part of the production team for “Hollywood Squares,” their job was to keep the audience’s attention on the stars of the TV game show.
“TAMI Show sounded so professional I thought they had already been signed,” Nigel Harrison said in a phone interview. “When I found out they weren’t, I couldn’t believe it. I called up Chrysalis and told them they had to hear this band.
Competitive volleyball got major exposure during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles when the American men won the gold medal. But beach volleyball is a different sport, with two-man teams covering the entire court. Sinjin Smith and his partner, Randy Stoklos, are the No. 1 team in the world. “It’s hard to believe I get paid to play in the sun and ogle girls in bikinis,” Smith said with a chuckle. “Seriously, the great thing about volleyball is it’s a sport anyone can play. It’s cheap, and you don’t have to be 19 to excel at it.”
In 1975, actor Dustin Tri Nguyen and his family escaped Vietnam during the fall of Saigon at the end of the war. His best friend wasn’t so lucky. The Viet Cong killed him. “A lot of people say I’m so fortunate to be on a hit TV series. But when you put things into perspective, I’m just lucky to be alive. Being an actor is a bonus. Being on a series where controversial topics are addressed is an actor’s dream.”
When pop singer Tiffany embarked on her first tour last year, her record company used a gimmick to promote her: It sent her to shopping malls across the country where she sang to prerecorded music. Now, with a self-titled debut album that has sold 4 million copies, along with two No. 1 singles and a Top 10 hit, the 16-year-old is performing across the country with a seasoned six-piece band.
Singer-guitarist Dave Pirner admits to playing in some pretty raunchy bands while cutting his punk-music teeth. Today, the 24-year-old musician fronts Soul Asylum, a loud, guitar-heavy group that he claimed is the most “imageless band ever.”
By Jae-Ha Kim Playboy July 1988 “Beach volleyball got some great exposure in that scene with Tom Cruise in Top Gun,” says Sinjin Smith. “Although looking at it from a professional standpoint, their game was a […]
Being the young, blond, beautiful daughter of the executive producer for “The Young and the Restless” isn’t enough when an actress wants a job on the CBS soap opera. It pays to beg, said former Chicagoan Lauralee Bell. The 19-year-old TV star portrays high-fashion model Cricket Blair on the daytime drama.
A pop star who gets up at 7 a.m. on the weekend is as unusual as a person who wants to have a pet pig. Singer Belinda Carlisle said she’s “guilty” of both. “I guess not everybody fits the rock ‘n’ roll stereotype,” Carlisle said. “At one time I did. I’m glad I don’t anymore.”
Daniel Stern made his film debut 10 years ago opposite Dennis Quaid. In his latest movie, Stern co-stars again with Quaid. “Yeah, it must be our electric chemistry that the audience likes,” Stern deadpanned. “I suppose it doesn’t hurt that we both look like gods.”
Many pop stars say music is the most important thing in their lives, but Rick Springfield put his beliefs and his career on the line when he took a self-imposed two-year break from the recording business
to reassess his priorities. “I think that of anything success has given me, alleviating the day-to-day money worries has got to be the greatest thing,” Springfield said. “I’ve been in the situation where I’ve had to scrimp to get together the rent and utility money. I know how hard it is, and I know how lucky I am now.”
Rick Springfield is back from a self-imposed two-year break from recording with his latest album, “Rock of Life.”
“You have to be pretty sure of your acting ability to dress in tights every week,” says Adam West, who many of us remember as the original Batman.
Maggie Han has a leg up on other actresses in Hollywood. While she waits for suitable acting roles, she doesn’t have to wait on tables to supplement her income. The Korean actress-model is the spokeswoman for L’eggs Shear Elegance pantyhose. “It’s nice to have that to fall back on,” Han said in a telephone interview from her Westwood, Calif., apartment.
“I don’t like to think of myself as a black actress, but that’s how a lot of casting directors view me,” Anne-Marie Johnson said from her Los Angeles home during a telephone interview. “Especially in Hollywood, where everyone’s supposed to be blond and blue-eyed, black actors have a difficult time finding work.”