The owner Richard was a good story teller, who liked to talk and I was eager to hear his “War Stories”.
It seems that all us who work backstage in Theatre like to tell tales, like fishermen who tell of “The Big One That Got Away”.
Richard talked about people, theatres and the various shows that he worked on in the New York City area as well as Rock and Roll concerts.
He supplied some of the equipment for the Grateful Dead Europe ’72 tour and to this now aging Dead Head who was only 22 at the time that was very cool.
When I started working I was the only one there besides Richard and his wife.
He took pride in his products and really took the time to show me the right way to build the different units.
I quickly learned what to do and did not have too rejected parts.
In addition to the PAR Cans and Color Wheels I also had to refurbish lighting equipment that was part of his rental stock.
I would clean-up, paint and re-wire lights and cables as they came back into the shop before they would go back out on the next rental.
Near the end of the summer another guy was brought in to help after I would leave for Grad School in Michigan.
A rental order came in for some follow spots for a benefit gig for the local Democratic Party out in the Hamptons.
The singer Harry Chapin and his band were playing in some rich lady’s back yard I was put on the comp list.
I drove out to the Hamptons and saw a great concert in somebody’s big back yard.
It was very cool to be on the guest list and get waved in and Harry gave a great concert and played all of his hits.
Working in the shop was very cool that summer with little to complain about except that I did get lots of little cuts and burns all summer long plus a big cut when I almost cut my thumb off .
I got lazy and sloppy trying to rush a job as I was de-burring some holes in sheet metal using the drill press just holding the piece with my hand and not with a pair of pliers.
The drill bit caught on an oval shaped double-punched hole and spun around cutting my thumb.
Ouch!
Nice big cut, I swear I saw bone, but I did not need stitches and it healed fine, although I have a nice little scar right next to the dog bite scar I got when I was about 8.
At some point a fluorescent lamp salesmen stopped in the shop and tried to sell Richard some lamps.
He told some big story about how bright they were and of their color temperature.
Richard said “Really, let’s try them out”
So he brought the guy into the shop and put the lights in and brought out his various meters and tested the results.
“Wrong, these do not test to what you said” and the guy was soon sent packing.
I thought it was very funny and I am sure the salesman never knew what kind of business he had walked into until it was too late.
I was happy to run into Richard at the USITT conference in Texas in 1996 and sat with him at the closing banquet.
I asked how things were going and if he still got to do any live Theatre.
He asked “Don’t you know? I built my own Theatre”.
When I later visited his nice new big shop and the Theatres that he built across the road he gave me the full tour.
Again I was glad that I got to work in the shop that summer and I have been happy when I have gotten to run into him at the various trade shows over the years.
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