TO CATCH A FALLING STAR
Wit duly sharpened and tongue even firmer within cheek than usual, I treated the
Sunday New York Times news of Perry Como's death as little more than an excuse
for yet another funny-if-informative column. Yet exactly as when I polled
pals-o-mine regarding that Pat Boone feller awhile back, I was somewhat taken
arrears by the vast amount of overwhelmingly heartfelt -- and uniformly quite
positive -- views and remembrances of the man, by both fans and peers alike. You
just can't judge a crooner by its cardigan, as I guess the saying goes.
And so I've decided to keep myself out of this month's proceedings as much as
possible, in order to present a mere sampling of the kind words received in
response to my "Have you anything to say about Como?" query. Then, when all is
truly said and done, perhaps we can simply agree to agree that there quite
possibly isn't that very much of a gap after all between, for example, power-pop
and Perry's pop.
From R. Stevie Moore, perhaps the only person ever to work with both Kramer and
Como: "Como was way cool. Always. In my book, the novelty songs gave him the
edge, though it's said his legacy is forever tarnished because 'he'd record
anything anybody shoved in front of him.' But us '50s kids actually really
dug the silly "Papa Loves Mambo"s, "Catch A Falling Star"s, "Hot Diggity"s and
"Juke Box Baby"s. His TV show was seminal. He somehow stood out from all the
other crooners, methinks. Rest in Peace, Per. And don't let the stars get in
your eyes... pere ubu."
"Perry Como and Eddy Arnold were both important in balancing
the artsy crooning of Bing and Frank with a more manly chart presence. Just as
David Bowie needed Slade and Chuck Berry had to answer to Pat Boone, Como
provided a populist setting for the perpetuation of many great songs. Plus, Como
didn't go on to host a smarmy talk show, and he had the funniest line when Bob
Hope did a great Star Wars parody during one of his NBC specials. A fat woman
was playing an alien, and it was scripted for her to break character and run over
to Como as a big fan. "Hug me," she screamed. In response, Como sang, "It's
impossible..." He couldn't keep a straight face, either." -J.R. Taylor, New York Press
"Unlike most adult contemptuous crooners afraid for their careers with the advent
of Elvis, the Perryman embraced rock by having the Everlys and Fats Domino on his
show, even though Mr. Saturday's idea of "rip it up” usually involved a packet of
Ovaltine. Even though Como released records with kiddie names like "Hot Ziggity"
he resisted the urge to rip it up until 1961, when he released "You're Following
Me," written by Burt Bacaharch, the same man who scribed "Magic Moments." With
no top-20 appearances since the "Magic Moments"-era, Como decided to embrace the
new rockin' sounds. Someone must've put something particularly strong in Como's
Ovaltine that session, causing him to sign off on uncommonly loud bass, drums,
Scotty Moore-ish guitar leads and maniacal "sha da da"s from background singers
who sound like they were hijacked at gunpoint from a Bobby Rydell record. While
the authoritative finger snaps that open the song might make the Jets and Sharks
jump into rumble stance, having Mr. C. make like the Fonz with lineins was at the
forefront of a revolution. Would Perkins liked to have changed places with Como?
You bet. So would most anyone in rock at the time. He was a huge star, much
loved, and bankable as all get out. Perry Como knew that a pleasing personality
would make you more money than would all the fireworks and artistic pretentions
in the world. A final word: "Como" is Spanish for "what?" -Ken Burke, still
continuing on the Saga of Dr. Iguana
"Ya know, I remember going to a Perry Como concert all the way back in 1976, and
getting in very early as the roadies were setting up. A Disney truck was backed
in and, even though I was almost a hundred feet away, I swear I saw them roll
Perry out on a dolly and stand him up at the front of the stage. I watched that
thing for a good fifteen minutes and it never moved. Later, during the show,
Perry was in that spot in that position and he never moved a muscle. Only
difference was someone had put a prop mike in his hands. So you see, Perry Como
has actually been dead for many decades now. All that's happened recently is
Disney cut back another program and Perry got caught up in the numbers game. I
know we've lost a crooner here in the real world, but we've gained another
cutthroat in the Pirates Of The Caribbean. Rust in peace, Perry. -D.J. Johnson, Cosmik Debris Magazine
"I talked to my grandparents on Mother's Day and the subject came up. They said,
'Nobody ever had anything bad to say about Perry Como,' [as opposed to many of
today's stars]. Of course, my grandfather related that he wasn't thrilled when
he had to wake up at 5am one Saturday morning to take my aunt to the airport to
see Perry off on a tour." -Blair Buscareno, Teen Scene Magazine
"How could you not like him? I mean, what was there to possibly piss anyone off?" -Chris Butler
See you later then, Perry. And thanks for the pop.
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© 2001 Sound Views. Last Revised: 6.12.01