August 22, 2007
MUSIC FEATURE
Frankie, My Dear
American Bandstand turns 50.
Few television programs hold a candle to American Bandstand in terms of social influence, viewership and general popularity. Think American Idol of the ’50s and ’60s, but with talent and relevance. Perhaps Total Request Live is a more apt comparison. Bandstand actually featured established acts of its time.
But Carson Daly’s not fit to carry Dick Clark’s oxygen tank, and the darlings of the TRL era—Justin and Britney—have little in common with the sweethearts of the Bandstand age—Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello.
PW recently caught up with Avalon, who’s featured on Time Life’s new Dick Clark’s American Bandstand 12-CD boxed set. The Philadelphia native waxed nostalgic about the Beach Blanket Bingo days with Annette, as well as his fond memories of Bandstand’s infancy, as he chatted via phone from his digs in sunny Southern California.
Hi Frankie.
“So, tell me, how’s my city?”
She’s great. Except for all the killing going on.
“Oh, I don’t like to hear that.”
“Not only do I remember it, I recall every detail. And fondly. That show was so special. It really reflected the hope and energy that everyone was feeling back then. It was fun, fresh and vitalized. In Bandstand you had a show that managed to combine so many aspects of youth culture into a single hour every week. You had the best dancers, the best singers and musicians and the most popular fashions all crammed into one place. It was really magical.”
You received your first gold record on the Bandstand stage. How did that grab you?
“It was fantastic. My first gold record was for my song ‘Venus.’ Dick Clark presented me with the record right there on the air. It really was magical. Back then music had meaning and melody and much more feeling than it does today. I mean, take a kid today and play ‘Venus’ for them, and there’s no way they won’t enjoy it.”
Not fair, Frankie. “Venus” is a timeless classic. That’s a documented fact.
“Nonetheless, it just seems like today’s music—and music stars—don’t have the same authenticity and respect for history and tradition we had back then. Most of what I hear on the radio these days is garbage. There’s no melody, no feeling—it’s just not there.”
Speaking of modern music, your former co-star Annette Funicello has something in common with one of today’s trainwrecks, Britney Spears: They were both Mouseketeers. What’s your take on the rollercoaster rides that are today’s stars’ lives?
“I think it’s terrible. And sad. It seems like these folks—Britney and Lindsay Lohan, for instance—care only about themselves. They don’t stop to consider the effect their actions may have on so many kids who look up to them. Back in my day we considered ourselves role models for the youth and tried our best to conduct ourselves in an appropriate fashion.”
When you were big man on campus, and just when you were hitting the peak of your stardom, in fact, you became engaged to Kay Diebel. Did your “handlers” pop a gasket over that whole situation?
“Like you wouldn’t believe. They were convinced it was the end of my career. Once the girls heard Frankie Avalon was officially off the market, they surmised, they’d lose interest and my career was as good as dead.”
Things seemed to work out pretty well in the end. I mean, you at least managed to scrape by, right?
“I like to think so. And I’m still married to my wonderful wife. We have eight beautiful children and some grandkids as well.”
Any last words, Frankie? Wanna plug that box set?
“Absolutely. The collection is really fantastic and so comprehensively spans the history of American Bandstand from the earliest days of rock ’n’ roll to the psychedelic era to disco, all the way to … ”
“Fair enough. Just buy it. And send my love to my hometown.”
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