It’s Holy Week on the 4:30 Movie. The Robe, King of Kings, Demetrius and the Gladiators. Thats’ what used to be on back in the day. Channel 7 would show the religious movies whereas Channel 4 would show Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and Ghidra the Three Headed Monster, which starred Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra. Sometimes afterwards my friends and I would wonder aloud, ‘who would win, Jesus or Godzilla?’
We all agreed that Rodan would flap his wings and Mothra would spray silk to create a cocoon which both Godzilla and Rodan would eventually get out of, but Jesus would more than likely get trapped and killed by a giant sized caterpillar. Who knows? It was all about resurrection wasn’t it? Jeffrey Hunter was a good Jesus, but Robert Powell was the handsomest Jesus by far. He also played the father in Ken Russell’s Tommy, but he wasn’t so handsome due to the scar on his face, shot down in World War 2. I loved Tommy when it came out.
Actually defied the Catholic Church, or rather the Pastor of St. Francis de Sales church who came out during a sermon suggesting that parents forbid their children from seeing the movie due to the scene with Eric Clapton singing Eyesight to the Blind in a ceremony surrounded by Marilyn Monroe acolytes. The priest saw Marilyn as a substitute for Mary, Jesus’ mom. Brother Frank and his then girlfriend, now wife saw it and didn’t see any harm in me seeing it.
Of course the only reason I wanted to see it was for Elton John, playing the Pinball Wizard. I remember seeing it with my brother Brian and a friend of his, They were more than likely in an altered state, I rode back trying to will myself into being deaf, dumb and blind. It didn’t happen, well according to some, one out of three actually ‘took’. I was dumb after all. I watched the movie a while ago on cable and I really don’t like it as much as I used to. In fact I don’t like it at all. It really is a crap movie even with Elton John in it. It was more of a ‘what were they drinking’ rather than ‘what were they thinking’ situation.
I remember growing up, my brother Brian arguing with Kathy Plauchino that the band was called Tommy The Who. Brian insisted they were only The Who. I saw the Who live in 1979, my third rock concert. The first was Elton John in 1976, then Peter Frampton in 1977 then the Who. I couldn’t say I was happy to be there since I had gotten into a big fight with Brian who threatened to ‘out’ me to my family, calling me a pervert for having Honcho and Mandate magazines under my bed, instead of Penthouse and Playboy like under Brian’s bed.
It was a bucket of cold water in my face, causing me to hyperventilate. My brother Frank, late as ever eventually showed up to drive into the city, but I wasn’t into it at all. I really wasn’t into it and I think it showed. Frank ran into some friends at the show. They were going to a place called CBGB’s to see some new band called AC/DC. He wasn’t up for it and I certainly wasn’t either. I wasn’t even sure if I would be welcomed at home, if Brian had gone ahead with his devious plan to ruin my life. He hadn’t and I had a few more years in the closet, much to my relief.