By Staff Report. To be perfectly honest, the show appealed to me in its early years. Celebrity judges visit various cities across the country in search of the best vocal talent, and the winner gets an instant infusion of fame, money, and a recording contract.
Eventually though, I came to realize that the show seems to get more mileage out of exposing the lack of talent in our nation, and I lost interest somewhere along the way. People are willing to do anythingβ¦and I mean anythingβ¦for that momentary rush found in instant fame.
Contrary to popular belief, I was young once, and in search of fame. I was less confident as a vocalist than I am today, so I chose another path: comedy. Impressionists like David Frye and Rich Little were all the rage in the early 70s, and I greatly admired their talent. I had a good ear for voices, and had been polishing a few impressions of my own. I soon discovered that a classmate shared my passion for impressionist comedy. Don Elium was a year older than me, but we had the same lunch period and eventually found ourselves entertaining the masses in the hallways around each day.
Don did a great Walter Brennan to my John Wayne. His Hubert Humphrey was dead on, and a perfect foil for my Richard Nixon. And no one could touch his Billy Graham or my Paul Lynde. We were quickly becoming a sensation at East Rowan High. We would soon debut our comedy antics at a school talent show. I even remember the date: January 25, Our classmates roared their approval. We were a hit, and instant celebrities. Any group willing to part with fifty bucks could have 20 minutes of our best stuff.
Don and I were on our way. Even in those days, the goalβ¦the great showbiz questβ¦was to appear on television. We sensed that the Ed Sullivan Show and the Hollywood Palace was already booked with slightly more experienced talent, so we set our sights on the regional market.
