Chapter 100

I took my drink and put it on the piano checking out the piano for a moment, then I began to play...

Now this could only happen
to a guy like me
And only happen
in a town like this
So may I say to each
of you most gratefully
As I throw each one
of you a kiss
This is, my kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of people too
People who, smile at you
And each time I roam, Chicago is
Calling me home, Chicago is
Why I just grin like a clown
It’s my kind of town

(I really cranked out the interlude for eight measures!)

My kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of town, Chicago is
My kind of razzmatazz
And it has, all that jazz
And each time I leave, Chicago is
Tuggin’ my sleeve, Chicago is
The Wrigley building, Chicago is
The union stockyard, Chicago is
One town that won’t let you down
It’s my kind of town

While my group applauded, the ‘regulars’ were all tapping their drinks with something making a sound. I got a high sign from the bartender -- that meant they liked it.

I started another number, knowing I would be getting a singer very quickly...

MICHAEL
Ladies and gentlemen:
Miss Velma Kelly in an act of desperation

(I vamped until Princess was beside me, ready. That perked up some of the guys there.)

PRINCESS
My sister and I had an
act that couldn’t flop,
my sister and I were
headed straight for the top,
my sister and earned a
thou a week at least, oh yeah
but my sister is now
unfortunately deceased.

I know it’s sad of course
but a fact is still a fact
and now all that remains
is the remains,
of a perfect ... double ... act

(She was really having a blast)

Watch this!
now you have to imagine
it with two people,
it’s swell with two people,
first I’d, (A lot of pantomime)
Then she’d
then we’d
but I can’t do it alone
then she’d
then I’d
then we’d
but I can’t do it alone
she’d say what’s your sister like
I’d say men

She’d say you are the cat’s meow
then we’d wow the crowd again
when she’d go
I’d go
we’d go

then those ding dong
daddies started to roar
whistled, stomped...
stamped on the floor,
yelling, screaming,
begging for more,
and we’d say ok fellows,
keep your socks up,
cause you ain’t seen nothing yet

Right about now the door opened, and about six of our people came in, including Brigitte and Tiffany. The others joined my girls, while Tiff jumped into the drum seat and Brigitte was quickly slappin’ the bass.

but I simply cannot do it alone,
so what’d ya think huh?
come on you can say

(JENN blows a raspberry)

PRINCESS
I know you are right
the first part is shit
but the second part,
the second part is really nifty, ok
she’d go ... I’d go ... we’d go

Now you see me
going through it
you make think
there’s nothing to it
but I simply cannot do it...

aloneeeeeee!

This time, besides our larger group, there were sounds of life from the place, with some of them calling for the cocktail waitress. I got a thumbs up from the bartender. I needed to keep things very upbeat, so next were both my girls to sing the duet they do so well, “Does He Love You.”

That got actual applause from the whole place. People were walking in from outside, possibly because they heard singing.

“In case you all were wondering who we are, my name is Michael Thomas, and the rest of these young people around me are My Gold Standard. We are on tour from Vincennes, Indiana!”

While that got some applause, I took over and played and sang, “A Little Less Conversation,” the Elvis hit. I wasn’t trying to ‘do Elvis’ I just sang like I always do. During this, Peter and his wife walked in, and I asked, “How many of you have seen the movie, FROZEN?”

The entire place raised their glasses, mostly holding liquor in them.

“Good, we have a few real treats for you. While you are getting refills, or new drinks, we are playing tonight and tomorrow at the Target Center. They might be sold out, but if you ask, they may sell you SRO tickets. Bring your wife, girlfriend or both. We like people who like music.”

That got them happier with one guy standing up and saying, “Here, here. I want to give Michael Thomas a big toast. He knows how to surround himself with hot HOT CHICKS. Did you see those ladies he came in with? I toast you, Michael.”

They all echoed his toast sounding more drunk than not, but they were happy and buying even more drinks.

“Peter, come here for a moment please?” I asked.

“Yeah, Boss?”

“Do you know ‘Love Is An Open Door?’”

“Sure do, I know all the FROZEN music. It just made sense knowing you,” he said with a sneer in his voice.

“Isabel, come on up please?”

She jumped from her seat, jiggling all the way up to her brother. I started the music, now with a drummer and a bassist...

ISABEL
Okay, can I just say something crazy?
PETER
I love crazy!

ISABEL
All my life has been a series
of doors in my face
And then suddenly I bump into you
PETER
I was thinking the same
thing! ‘Cause like
I have been searching my
whole life to find my own place
And maybe it’s the party
talking or the chocolate fondue

All the way to the end, these two sings this exactly like the voice actors in the movie. The response was immediate as they kissed while they were being lauded by everyone there. Even the bartender was applauding.

Peter pulled away, looking over at his wife who was cheering for her man just as much as Stuart was applauding for Princess. They gave them a kiss as they sat down. Benjamin, the bartender, brought me a refill saying, “I thought I recognized you. I got tickets for tomorrow... $250 a piece. I would have paid $500 if I had to. Having you in my bar is BIG STUFF. Thanks.”

“That’s a lot of money, Ben ... I hope we are worth it to you,” I said.

“I have a twelve-year-old son. He’s who I’m going with. He had a choice between seeing you guys or his pick of any show on Broadway. It was no contest. He picked the Gold Standard Society over LES MISÉRABLES.”

“We will do a number from it, just for him. Tell him that, please?”

“Will do, you guys got free drinks for as long as you are in town, pass it on, please?”

“Sure thing Ben. Mrs. Chapman, could I ask you to come up, please?”

She got up and the guys immediately started catcalls and whistles for this marvelously sculptured woman. As she approached me, I gave her a nice kiss, then said, “For Now For Always”... (Written by the Sherman Brothers of Disney Fame)

For now, for always
Our love will stay
As warm as summer
For come what may
The magic divine
That first made you mine
Will now for always be new

Though time may tatter
our first sweet thrill
It doesn’t matter it never will
For my love was meant for
Was heaven sent
For now
For always
For you

(I played some interlude music while she moved around on the small raised platform)

For my love was meant for
Was heaven sent
For now
For always
For you
or you

The guys who were making all the noise before she sang, stood up and applauded for her. She did a low curtsey, giving them a nice lookie-look at the girls. They loved her instantly. I completely understood the feeling.

I checked the time, and said, “We have time for one more song, we do have a performance this evening. Put your hands together again for my future wife, Jennifer Guthrie.”

They did as she walked tantalizingly slow, as I began the familiar introduction of my all-time favorite song that she sings better than anyone else...

There was a time
when men were kind
when their voices were soft
And their words inviting
there was a time
when love was blind

I dreamed a dream
in time gone by
When hope was high
and life worth living
I dreamed that love
would never die
I dreamed that God
would be forgiving

I saw Ben recording this, as she went on while I played. Tiffany and Brigitte were silent, it was just her and me, together ... forever!

A bar typically has glasses that are clinking all the time. You just can’t stop that, but her singing had. Nobody had a drink in their hands. She had them in hers as she sang this best song ever written by Claude-Michael Schoenberg and Herbert Kretzmer, in my humble opinion.

I stopped playing for her to end it by herself...

I had a dream my
life would be
So different from
this hell I’m living
So different now
from what it seemed
Now life has killed
the dream — I dreamed.{br}

Every single person, including myself, was listening closely to the voice of an angel. She finished, smiled and curtseyed to a standing ovation.

I came up beside her as she appeared breathless for a split second.

“Thank you all very much. If you want to hear two more hours of this kind of music come over to the Target Center tonight or tomorrow. Goodbye, for now.”

I gathered my troupe, and with Jenn on one arm and Tracy on the other we left, with the guys applauding and slapping me on the back, heaping praise on everyone who performed. Peter and Stuart were slapping away the guys who looked to be getting too friendly with the ladies.

****

Our show that night, despite being a whole different set of music, came off quite well. It was heavily saturated with country music, both oldies and some of the newer hits. Peter, Stuart, and Jeff Newman had given me several ideas for this set, back before we ever left. It started with Trace Adkins hit “Swing,” which was loved to death by this Chicago crowd.

Tracy and I next sang “Like We Never Loved at All.”

While she doesn’t sing as well as Jennifer, she makes up for it by brimming with emotion with every syllable she sings.

That was followed by an Andrew Sisters medley, using the three youngest Prefontayne girls, with Anna singing lead. She had turned into a better pure singer than her older sister Joan. I think she has a bigger voice still inside her wanting to get out.

I wanted to get my sexy older ladies out there, so I changed the set on the fly and had the GS Septet (All Seven of them) singing together the song “Proud Mary.” (The CCR version)

(It started with JANICE, after six hard bets by Tiffany)

Left a good job in the city
Workin’ for the man
ev’ry night and day
And I never lost one
minute of sleepin’
Worrying’ ‘bout the way
things might have been
Big wheel keep on turnin’
Proud Mary keep on burnin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river
Cleaned a lot of
plates in Memphis
Pumped a lot of pane
down in New Orleans
But I never saw the
good side of the city
‘Til I hitched a ride
on a river boat queen
Big wheel keep on turnin’
Proud Mary keep on burnin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river
If you come down to the river
Bet you gonna find
some people who live
You don’t have to worry
‘cause you have no money
People on the river
are happy to give
Big wheel keep on turnin’
Proud Mary keep on burnin’
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river
Rollin’, rollin’, rollin’ on the river

I was very proud of them, as was the crowd of people, especially the men. Hoots, catcalls, and wolf whistles abounded with them all in tight low-cut dresses designed to do that very thing. I had done the exact opposite the first night using Justin, Stuart Barry and Michael Thompson, adding in Peter, Jeff and myself. We sang “My Cup Runneth Over,” to the ladies in the audience having almost as much fun as the guys did with our ladies this evening.

The whole evening was a blast. I played some piano; I sang a song or two and I even got out the Keytar to sing “Light My Candle” with my little sister. The second she dropped to the ground sticking her butt up, the guys loved it, immediately hooting and hollering again. Of course, both Princess and I liked it as well. She is quite the exhibitionist and I’m a first-class voyeur.

In a moment of deep irony, I picked “Hello” as our final performance of the night. I hope the kids didn’t get too upset over the change-ups that I called.

The crowd ended up standing for us at the end of the night, which my people aptly deserved, then I told them ‘Goodnight’ and things were over, until the next evening.

Stuart came down and collected the mics from everybody. I gave a kiss on the cheek to all the ladies who wanted one, including Brigitte who whispered, “I’m still waiting” in my ear.

I smiled at her and mouthed, “Soon, I promise.”

We all got back to the hotel, with Jesse’s still open for us. Just like the night before, I was starved ordering the same thing. Most, but not all the GSS came in to eat. They must have eaten before the concert, we hadn’t. Our room that night would be Elizabeth, Jennifer, Princess, Stuart and myself. it seemed only fair, plus the next night Tracy would be back with us.

We all ate slowly, with Jennifer making the valid point that eating too fast could make somebody sick. I had Liz right next to me ... she even fed me a piece of her Salisbury steak. My girls always giggle when anybody is feeding anybody else.

I was intent on eating my entire meal, but everyone else was done and waiting for me. I asked our server to bring me a doggy bag for the food. Giggles were all about me with Princess going, “Wroof,” like she did a few years ago. That got me a little hard.

Princess assured me there was a microwave in the room to heat it up, so I paid for everything, getting a large water to go. Elizabeth took my leftovers and my arm, and we all went upstairs.