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Breaking a Leg on 'Your Big Break'
By
Ben Fong-Torres
AsianConnections
is proud to present the adventures of Ben Fong-Torres, our Renaissance
man: author, broadcaster, and former senior editor and writer at
Rolling Stone Magazine. This guy's our hero!
Ben
was a featured character in "Almost Famous," the Oscar and Golden
Globe-winning film by Cameron Crowe.
- AC Team
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Photo
Courtesy (c) BVTV
Show host Christopher "Kid" Reid
with Ben Fong-Torres.
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It began as a lark, a goof, a wack notion, and it ended up�well, "the
shattering conclusion," as they say on TV movies, will be on the air
at the end of April.
Not to give anything away, but I look really goofy, in a
moment that's both surreal and, at the same time, forms yet another
perfect circle in my life.
Here's the deal: A new, nationally syndicated talent show,
Your Big Break, went to various cities last summer and fall,
looking for people who could impersonate famous music acts�of any
generation, of any kind of music�as long as they were famous. From
Britney Spears and Backstreet Boys to Sinatra and Otis Redding;
from Dolly Parton to Elvis Presley to the Blues Brothers�they wanted
everyday people to go on the show.
I heard about the audition from friends at Yet Wah, the karaoke
bar I frequent (slang for "get drunk at") in San Francisco. "C'mon,"
said Julie. "You can do your Elvis." "Or your Dylan," her boyfriend,
Dave, whined, Dylan style. "Or maybe Dean Martin?
Being not exactly shy, I agreed to show up for the tryouts
one Saturday morning last August. Out of about 90 star-searchers,
the show's producers ultimately picked three, informing the winners
weeks later by letter: A guy who did a smooth Smokey Robinson; my
friends Julie and Dave, who pulled off a comedic Sonny and Cher,
and, to my amazement, me.
See, they'd asked me to do Dylan, and, in my 15 seconds on stage,
I sang the opening verse and chorus of "Rainy Day Women 12 + 35,"
better known as "Everybody Must Get Stoned." As I returned to my seat,
the producer looked up and said, "You know, this IS a Disney show."
I figured I was done.
Besides my having done a song with a drug reference, I thought
the show was trying to find people who had at least a passing resemblance
to the artist being mimicked. I'd noticed that a white woman who'd
done a great Aretha Franklin had been bypassed. How could a 50-something
Chinese guy possibly be transformed into the 20-something Dylan
of the mid-Sixties?
Such are the mysteries of life and showbiz. I got the letter,
and, in October, I flew to Hollywood for three days of preparation--
makeup, costuming, choreographer, and voice lessons�and the taping
of our show. Three days. These guys were serious. We�five
acts per show�would be competing for some cash and a recording contract.
We'd be performing, with full production, including dancers and
actors pretending to be playing instruments, before a live audience,
in the NBC Studios in Burbank that once housed the Tonight Show
with Johnny Carson.
Weird. But I hadn't heard anything yet. The show assigned
specific songs to the contestants, based on their availability and
cost. My song, which I'd have to memorize, would be "Like a Rolling
Stone."
Ouch. That's one of Dylan's more convoluted compositions.
Say this quick: "Aw! You never turned around to see the jugglers
and the clowns when they all did their tricks for you; you never
understood that it ain't no good, you shouldn't let other people
get your kicks for you?
And there was the matter of the song's title. I'm best known
for my years as a writer and editor at Rolling Stone magazine.
(Alert readers will note that "Like a Rolling Stone" is the name
of this column, as it was when I wrote a column for the radio and
music trade magazine, gavin.) At Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
was one of the most famous of my 400-something profiles, interviews,
and other stories. The very first of those pieces was an item about
Dick Clark, whose career has spanned American Bandstand (which
he hosted for about a half-century) and Greed (He's the executive
producer). I also did a front-page profile of him in 1973, in which
he was blunt to the point that, now, he seems to regret his candor.
"You know," he told me not long ago, "the writings you laid down
still come back to haunt me."
Anyway, Clark is also the executive producer of Your Big
Break. That's what I meant about full circles: doing Dylan,
singing "Like a Rolling Stone," on a show produced by Dick Clark.
I had a great time at NBC Studios, and I survived my stint.
But I like to think of this whole episode as Dick Clark's Revenge.
You can see for yourself when the show airs the weekend of
April 30 and 31 on about 180 stations around the country (mostly
on UPN stations). The whole hour is pretty cool, with contestants
being turned into R. Kelly, Elton John, Janis Joplin, and Earth
Wind & Fire. And, although we are put into hairpieces and costumes,
and surrounded with Hollywood production glitz, I like to think
that we treat our songs�and the real artists behind them�with respect.
You be the judge. Having already seen a tape, I won't be
watching. I'll probably be�er, frequenting a karaoke bar.
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So, what was it like preparing for, and performing on Your Big
Break? Ben tells all in Living Out a Rock
and Roll Fantasy
Ben
Fong-Torres, long-time writer and editor at Rolling Stone magazine,
is the author of four books, including his memoirs, The Rice Room:
Growing Up Chinese-American, and his latest, Not Fade Away: A Backstage
Pass to 20 Years of Rock & Roll. He is Editorial Director of
myplay.com, an Internet music site that offers free Web space, where
users can grab, store, mix, play, and share music of all kinds.
Click
to Ben
Fong-Torres Articles Index
Visit Ben's official site: www.BenFongTorres.com
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