Spring Fling

April 09, 2007

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It’s fitting that “American Idol” returns in the spring because one of the most glamorous and nerve-wracking musical traditions in my own history occurs during the spring. I’m talking, of course, about the Holbrook High School Swing Thing Spring Fling Dinner Dance.

That sentence is a mouth full so let me dissect it a bit: Holbrook is the little town I grew up in Arizona. Swing Thing was the show choir that I was in for three years. And the Spring Fling was the yearly dinner dance we put on to raise money for our summer trip to either Disneyland or Hawaii. (These pics are from one of our summer trips—gosh, what drowsy outfits.)

The evening consisted of series of group numbers like The Beach Boys Medley or “Fame,” which I choreographed with my friend Vicki because, what can I say, I had a knack. Interspersed with the group numbers were solo spots. Some of my solos included Barry Manilow’s “Jump Shout Boogie,” “New York, New York” and “Simply Jesse” by Rex Smith, which was featured in the TV movie Sooner or Later which I just rewatched a few months ago. The movie ends with Rex Smith and his underage girlfriend happy together in their relationship and Rex vowing to “try” not to pressure her into having sex with him. He can’t promise anything, but he’s going to try. The End.

Speaking of integrity, our director for the Swing Thing choir was a man named George Gardner. His motto was “Character is more important than talent.” He said that to us all the time. In our win-at-all-costs, “Show Biz Moms and Dads,” I-didn’t-come-on-this-show-to-make-friends world, that notion seems almost quaint to me now. But it stayed with me all these years later.

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