Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 59

Lifestyle 8 Arts Leisure 15 C7 Weddings 11, 12 Movies 16 Television 18 Seniors 13 Broadway 20 Advice 19 Asbury Park Press Dec. 3, 1981 3 Sonny Kenn: Asbury Park legend He's doing it the hard way Panorama, "A 4k'--- vr fov nil EARLY CELEBRATION Country singer Johnny Lee and "Dallas" star Charlene Tilton dance during taping of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve '82" to air Dec. 31 on ABC-TV. Sonny Kenn and the Wild Idea's (from left) Hank Wojtowski, By WALTER PATRICK Press Staff Writer IT'S NOT EASY for a rock 'n' roll band to make a name for itself in the Shore area by playing original music. After 17 years as a vocalist and guitarist in several area bands, Sonny Kenn should know.

"This is the hard way to do it, but I think it's the only way," said Kenn, whose current band, Sonny Kenn and the Wild Ideas, will be appearing at 9 p.m. tomorrow at Big Man's West, Monmouth Street, Red Bank. Also appearing will be the Minx. Admission to the show, which is being videotaped for presentation on the Monmouth Cablevision Channel 34 music program "Turn It is $3. Longtime followers of the Shore music scene may remember some of Kenn's earlier groups among them, Sonny and the Starfires, the Sonny Kenn Blues Band and Evinrude Strut.

HIS FIRST bands performed in the chain of Hullabaloo teenage clubs that sprang up in the mid '60s in Asbury Park, Toms River, Middletown Township and other Northeast communities. Southside Johnny Lyon of Asbury Juke fame was a member of two of Kenn's groups, playing harmonica (which he's known for) and bass (which he isn't). Vini Lopez, original drummer for Bruce Springsteen's Street Band, also played with Kenn. Springsteen himself has called Kenn "one of the early legends in Asbury." Kenn has vivid memories of the long defunct Upstage Club on Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park, where area musicians gathered for jam sessions that lasted until dawn. "We'd do sets at the Upstage from eight (p.m.) until 12 o'clock, take an hour break, and go back on from one o'clock until five in the morning," he said.

"BASICALLY we'd be repeating the first set later at night, trying to do the songs a diferent way the second time around. That's where all the jamming started nobody has enough material to cover 8 hours." Kenn said the musicians who played the Upstage some of whom (Springsteen and Lyon the foremost) would later become recording stars never figured they might become famous. "Nobody was really taking it seriously or thinking we'd make a lot of money at it. Biff and Muffy 4 s'y J) Diana has been credited with sparking a new awareness of fashion among British women by the head of the British Tie Manufacturers' Association. "Her Royal Highness the Princess of Wales has given style a new meaning and British women have been quick to follow her lead," said Gordon Drew.

British men, however, remain "among the world's worst dressers," Drew said. Hope for football Entertainer Bob Hope, a self- -professed "football flake," is doing what he can to bring the gridiron gladiators back to Villanova University. Hope gave a benefit performance Tuesday night at Philadelphia's venerable Academy of Music to raise money to bring football back to Villanova, which dropped its 87-year-old program this year to cut costs. Hope said he thinks colleges can survive without football, but he says life on a campus with a football team is "more exciting." The benefit was expected to raise $35,000.. Hope, by the way, said he's never visited the suburban Philadelphia college.

Disabled workers The 14 people who do the cleaning at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, are a little bit out of the ordinary. One is legally blind, while others are partly paralyzed or suffer emotional disabilities. All are disabled. The U.S.

General Services Administration, which runs the museum, awarded a $200,000 maintenance contract to Pine Rest Christian Rehabilitation Services. Will Jones, curator of the museum, said the. crew began its duties Tuesday. "We hope some people use it as a way of advancing themselves," said Herbert Start, executive director of the Pine Rest group. "Other people, I imagine this will be their job for a long, longtime." Walk against drunks Actor Jim Stacy led about 400 people on a candlelight walk in Los Angeles to demonstrate the hope that highways don't become killing grounds for drunken drivers during the Christmas season.

Stacy, who lost an arm and a leg in a traffic accident with a drunken driver, is chairman of the Calif ornians for Sober Highways. The organization lobbys for tougher legislation against drunken driving and for assistance to victims of accidents caused by intoxicated drivers. The two-block walk at City Hall Tuesday night was one of five in Southern California to memorialize the 26,000 Americans who will be killed by drunken drivers this year and to dramatize that Americans must not drive when drunk. Now, the weather Some people think that when the squirrels get fatter than usual and the wasps build their nests higher in the trees it means a hard winter ahead, but two Providence, R.I., biologists say you're likely to get a better report from your local TV weather forecaster. Alfred L.

Hawkes, executive director of the Audubon Society of Rhode Island, said the changes in animal behavior are reactions to changes in food supplies, not the coming season's weather. "They don't have any better idea of what kind of winter it's going to be than I do, and I haven't any idea at all," said John Stolgitis, deputy chief of the Rhode Island Division of Fish and Wildlife. RW Kr" um I People The Associated Press "A fan for 'Captain9 I Bob Keeshan, who has educated and amused legions of little children for 26 years as CBS's "Captain Kangaroo," is a grandfather for the first time. Britton Conroy Keeshan was born Tuesday in Greenwich, the son of Michael and Lynn Keeshan. Bob Keeshan has two other children both daughters.

'Carter's PAC I It's called the Jimmy Carter for a Greater America set up by Carter to support the causes he supports. 1 But the former president says his new political action committee isn't an Instrument for his own political ambitions. "This PAC in no way is for my own political career, for I do not seek office," Carter said in a letter to potential contributors. "It is a legal instrument for you and me to speak and act forcefully to reach common goals, to rally the support of others and to help political candidates who are interested in the lame issues," the letter said. Carter spokesman Dan Lee said in Atlanta that the committee will provide financial help to Democratic candidates and causes, such as human rights and Middle East peace.

'f, The committee, similar to groups created by former presidents Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon, was registered with the Federal Elections Commission last week, with Atlanta businessman William Schwartz as treasurer, Lee said. Free Baker lecture I Even though he had planned to give up personal appearances, humorist Russell Baker agreed to give a lecture in Pittsburgh, and give it for free, to make amends for a missed engagement last year. I The New York Times columnist said he was booked for the Town Hall-South Lecture series a year ago without his knowledge, despite notice to his booking agent that he was giving up making appearances. When he failed to appear, he was deluged with mail. "I didn't know what I had done, but I was sufficiently alarmed," said Baker, who addressed lecture series patrons at the South Hills Village Theater Tuesday.

Royal understanding Prince Charles, explaining the frequent absences of the pregnant Princess Diana, said Wednesday he's beginning to understand female problems. Diana, 20 and expecting a baby in June, canceled three appearances this week and several last month, apparently because of morning sickness. However, she remains in excellent health, Buckingham Palace said. "I must apologize for the absence of 4 my wife," the 33-year-old prince told well-wishers during a tour of Falmouth, England. l'l have come to the conclusion that most ladies think that we men don't understand the problems they face," said Charles.

"But I must say I am slowly beginning to find out what they Meanwhile, in London, Princess Charlie Warlack and Kenn. Roll My Life" and "Turn it Down," comment on Kenn's musical past. "Turn it Down" is about the kind of thing we all went through when we were younger. You know "Turn that record player down, turn that radio down, turn that guitar he said, recalling when one of his bands was fired by an area club owner for playing too loud. "He didn't actually throw us out, but he invited us not to come back," Kenn Kenn and his band plan to release an independent single featuring "Turn it Down" and "All American Angel," another original composition, in the next few weeks.

And the the group will be playing again at Big Man's West on Dec. 26 and at several metropolitan area colleges in the upcoming months. Kenn said it's been a long struggle to bring his band to the point where it is today, but added, "Nothing in life that's satisfying comes easy. "If nothing ever happens (regarding a record contract) at least I have the satisfaction of knowing that when I walk off the stage they're cheering. And that keeps you going.

It really does." style Meanwhile, has anyone seen the hot dog vendor? Football Saturdays make me ravenous. Associated Press Special Correspondent Hugh Mulligan's column appears Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. Local look-alikes appear tomorrow MISTAKEN ENTITY can be amusing, confusing and even annoying, according to more than two dozen area residents who resemble famous people. A Robert Redford double says he was pursued by a flock of women in New York, a look-alike of actress Katharine Ross has launched a modeling career and a Brooke Shields double is pursuing the same career. "It happens every day," says one look-alike.

"Wherever I go people take double takes, come up to me and say, 'Aren't you Mitch Their stories and look-alike faces are the subject of a Panorama feature which will appear tomorrow. said. "Whether we're doing a bluesy shuffle, a jazz fill or whatever it's still rock 'n'roll. "And it's an outlet for me to write songs. I've got three other musicians who allow me to be creative." Although the band performs some familiar material, mainly classic rock 'n' roll tunes by Chuch Berry, Little Richard and the like, the group concentrates primarily on original songs.

Kenn said the band could easily perform only well known music, as the most popular club bands in the area do, but they'd never further their own songs that way. "EVERY INCH of ground that you're fighting for is a battle if you're not doing proven material. But if I'm not having a good time onstage and playing the things I want to play, nobody watching me's going to have a good time." Some of Kenn's original tunes, such as "The Artist the Viewer" and "Grey is My Value," reflect his artistic background. (Few guitarists would cite surrealist Salvador Dali as an Influence on their playing technique, but Kenn does). Others numbers, such as, "Rock dine in Several of the tailgate gourmets I visited had purchased only one ticket to the game for the entire group, and they would take turns going inside the arena to catch a few plays.

"Witnessing an actual touchdown entitles you to another Bloody Mary," a girl named Mopsy told me. Or was it Topsy? Anyhow, she was so preppie she might have been cloned by the Yale Co-op and listed in the catalogue. Tailgate traditionalists still favor the buckboard of a station wagon for these al fresco lucullan repasts, while scorning the humble pickup truck, the. camper and the van. Coming in a bus is equivalent to bringing sandwiches.

There is a growing vogue, however, to emulate the British aristocracy at Ascot and toss a damask cloth across the bonnet of a Rolls-Royce, a Caddie or a Lincoln Continental while perching on a shooting stick beneath a trlbly or gray topper. Volkswagens are decidedly "non-U," which translates to "yeeech." Last year at Harvard, I am told, one of the more pretentious preppie tailgaters if you'll forgive the redundancy, even hired a butler in full fig to buttle a five-course outdoor banquet that began with buluga caviar and finnan haddie and wound up with sherry trifle. i uavisM TAILZIE We were just a bunch of kids having a good time playing rock 'n' roll." After a while, however, Kenn became disenchanted with the contemporary music scene. "The whole atmosphere seemed to change from fun music and dancing and having a good time to self-indulgent and introspective stuff." So Kenn studied art at Mercer County College and Trenton State College; performing infrequently and devoting his spare time to songwriting instead. OCCASIONALLY he'd round up a new group one was "a country-western rockabilly thing," another a power blues outfit but it wasn't until three years ago that Kenn formed the nucleus of the Wild Ideas.

Drummer Ray Kriessler, Long Branch, and keyboardist Charlie Warwick, Freehold, were the first members of the band. Hank Wojtowicz, Asbury Park, was selected to complete the group after Kenn, a Wall Township' resident, had auditioned dozens of bass players. Kenn's varied performing experiences are reflected in the group's music, which touches on pop, country, rhythm and blues and other bases. "But we're a rock'n'roll band," he mates seemed to favor garish plaid slacks, Irish fishermen sweaters, deeerstalker caps right out of Sherlock Holmes and meerschaum pipes emitting a sweetish, aromatic odor. The dogs wore the appropriate school blanket.

THE PICNIC tables were set with care and elegance: fresh cut flowers in lovely vases (in one case, cloisonne), the best family silver and china nothing paper or plastic and gleaming crystal stemware on a field of crisp white linen tastefully interrupted with colored napkins in Harvard crimson or Yale blue, according to the gridiron preference the Maitre D'. Margaret Conran of Fort Walton Beach, mother of Yale's first string corner back, had graced her table with a pair of shining silver five bracket candlea-bra but doubted that she would get them lit in the stiff breeze raking the parking lot. The DeCossys, past masters at the tail-gating art, had their candles flickering inside huge hurricane glasses. Beside the baron of lamb, their menu included a steaming pot of soupe au pistou, which is the life blood of Provence, Polish kielbasa in a blanket and three chocolate mousses successively lettered in confectioner's cream and Tailgaters began to arrive about 9 a.m. A few had spent the night in the parking lot.

Many would not leave the groaning beard and ever flowing bar until long after dark, hours after the goal posts had been torn down and the scoreboard cleansed of its 'Yale 28, Harvard 0" verdict. Some would not see the game at all. "We hate football, but we love tailgating," exclaimed Mike Piecak, who had arrived with 40 of his friends and four kegs of beer in a rented moving van from Bronx-ville, N.Y. When the lasagna verde, baked in an oven fashioned from half an oil drum, was pronounced ready, he herded the diners to table from their spirited Frisbee game with a police bullhorn. In an adjoining field, another tailgate host summoned his guests by playing Army mess call on a battered trombone.

Still another cried out in accent unmistakably preppie, "Come and get your Pimm's cup and Scotch eggs, darlings," FOOTBALL only seemed to provide the excuse for serving coq au vin out of a Dutch oven imbedded in glowing coals or spinach pie au truffle from a double boiler over a Coleman stove or, most ingenious i among my investigations, rock Cornish hen wrapped in aluminum foil and taped to the engine block so it would roast en route. Hugh Mulligan NEW HAVEN, Conn. Man, as Rud-yard Kipling shrewdly observed, is basically a barrack room animal. His primitive instinct is NOT to go back to nature and rough it, but to feather his nest, increase his creature comforts, hang up a hammock and mosquito net to sleep out under the stars and, like Field -Marshal Montgomery, put on a dinner jacket for sundowners in the desert. Civilization requires its veneer of civility.

Nowhere is this instinctive urge to vive in comfort, in rigorous splendor, more dramatically demonstrated than in the elegant art of tailgating, an exotic brand of picnicking practiced in stadium parking' lots across the land on football weekends. Here is outdoor domesticity raised to the luxurious standards of the deluxe hotel with all the accompanying fuss and pretension. "What's cooking?" I asked a tailgate chef basting an animal about the size of a German shepherd dog slowly turning on an electric spit attached to his automobile battery. "Baron of lamb," answered Bill De-Cossy, Yale '57, a New Haven architect who last year did a roast suckling pig with an apple in its mouth. OF COURSE, it was the weekend of "The Game," Harvard vs.

Yale, and here we were in a gourmet's paradise, the parking lot of the Yale Bowl, the birthplace of tailgating, the Mecca of preppiness, the mother house of George Bush multiplied to the nth degree ad Infinitum. "Happy Hour" flags emblazoned with little cocktail glasses flew from car radio antennas. Bottles of imported champagne protruded their chilly necks from silver ice buckets. The crisp November air was laden with the aroma of sizzling steaks, spicy sausages, barbecuing shrimps, steaming quiches just released from a field oven, even the rare perfume of lobster therml-dor. Everyone seemed to be named Bruce, Biff, Muffy, Tuffy, Craig or Keith.

The women wore enormous yellow chrysanthemums on their tweediest of tweed suits and were garlanded about the neck with long striped collegiate mufflers. Their barracks.