MY MOM'S BRUSH WITH ROCK GREATNESS (AND MINE TOO)
The phone rang at our house in suburban Toronto one summer's day in 1976. The only person at home was my Mom, who answered and listened to an inquiry from a man with a southern accent "Does Jerry Hebscher live here?" (Jerry was my Dad's brother, who used to live with us many years prior) "No", said my Mom "he doesn't live here anymore, this is his brother Sid's home". "Oh" said the twangy voice "I know Sid. This is Levon from The Band calling. We'd like to invite y'all to our concert tonight." "Thanks" said my Mom, likely thinking "What band?". She politely declined the offer of concert tickets, backstage passes and a chance to meet Levon, Robbie, Garth, Richard and Rick, not knowing, of course, that this was THE BAND. My Uncle had gotten to know the guys back in the 60s when they were Levon and the Hawks, and he was a young salesman in Toronto. In fact, sometimes the guys didn't have a place to stay after their Toronto gigs, and my Uncle would offer up a hotel room that he and my Dad used at the Royal York Hotel as a showroom for the clothes they sold as manufacturer's agents. The only stipulation was that they vacated the room by 9 a.m. when clients began to arrive. That's how Levon and the band got to know my Uncle Jerry Hebscher.
When my brothers and I returned home that afternoon, my Mother recounted the phone call. "A man named Levon from some "band" called for your Uncle Jerry today and offered us tickets and passes to their show tonight". We all looked at each other "Levon? From The Band?" "Yes", she said "WHAT band?" When we picked ourselves up off the floor and realized that she had turned down the invitation, didn't get a phone number from Levon and had absolutely no way of getting back in touch with him to accept the invitation, we were inconsolable. We never did get to the concert, and a few months later, they played their final show, "The Last Waltz". Bummer!
But wait, it gets better. My Mom also had a chance meeting with the members of "Kiss" a few months later, while on vacation in Miami. We went on a family vacation and stayed at the Marco Polo hotel on Miami Beach. One day Mom came down to the pool and mentioned matter-of-factly that she had met the four members of a rock band called "Kiss". She chatted them up in the elevator, got to know Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley over a cup of tea in the hotel coffee shop and then told us of her meeting. "Such nice Jewish boys" she exclaimed. "especially Eugene and Paul". Well, of course, we ran all over the hotel trying to find four guys wearing Kiss makeup. At the time, nobody knew what Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace looked like without their costumes and make up. Except my Mom. We tried to get her to point them out to us, but she had better things to do by then. To her, they looked "very tired" and "had probably been working too hard". If only she knew. Many years later, I got a chance to meet Gene Simmons during a taping of Michael Landsberg's TSN show "Off the Record". I mentioned to him about the time he met my Mother in Miami, (as if he was going to remember) and his immediate response was "Did I ever schtup her?".
Tonight, musical history could be made when the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin walk onstage at the Ed Sullivan Theatre for a taping of "The Late Show with David Letterman". Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones were honoured at the Kennedy Center in New York, and have agreed to appear, but not play, on Letterman. Now, I'm going to stay up and watch the show, as I'm sure millions of others will, in the hopes that the three agree to play at least one song with Paul Shaffer and The CBS Orchestra. I've asked my Facebook and Twitter followers for their choice of a favourite Led Zep song that they'd like to hear. The results indicate that LZ could do no wrong playing Kashmir, Goin' to California, Rock n Roll or Whole Lotta Love. I'm pretty sure the CBS Orchestra knows how to play ALL of them.
I had the opportunity to meet Page and Plant back in the mid 90s when The Tragically Hip opened for them in California. At the San Jose Arena, prior to the show, the two of them were having a bite in the commissary backstage. I took a deep breath, went over and introduced myself, and to my delight, they both agreed to shake my hand and acknowledge my presence. I was star struck. Jimmy Page's hands were so soft, I didn't want to release my handshake. Beautiful long fingers, perfectly manicured nails and soft, soft features. I had a man crush on him BEFORE I ever met him. Upon meeting him, I was totally in love.......with his hands. I briefly considered NOT washing my hands for a few days, but then realized that getting an autograph would be a better souvenir. Alas, I never did get up the nerve to ask. They probably would've said "no" anyway. Let's hope they say "yes" to Letterman tonight.
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