Da Count – foreplay

That’s what I was engaged in with these fine gentleman (pictured below) 20 years ago this month.

We were young, hot and crazy in college.

We had stupid and questionable notions.

We seized the opportunity because it was there… and never looked back!

Now I’ll pause for a picture  while you scrape your mind out of the gutter.

Foreplay (that started off as Fourplay… until we quickly were joined by a fifth Beatle member) was a half hour weekly radio show we started producing together on the college radio station KFSR.  It was supposed to be a comedy program that was to be performed live (the first few episodes were) which we would write and produce. After the premier episode… we quickly changed our focus (and promo) and decided that it would be a program “where anything could happen”. Because… well… first episodes never go as you envisioned it in your collective rabid mind.

It was a grand crazy time of pitching ideas, writing, quick rehearsals, late night insanity, laughing, camaraderie… and yeah, a radio show that ran all of 13 episodes. During that time, we learned a lot about radio and sound production (achieved under the most primitive conditions) but more importantly… about each other. We continued to like each other in spite of being aware of the others insanity. Because it ran at 11 PM once a week, we estimated that we grew a regular audience of about… oh, maybe 2.

I suppose the point is… we are all still friends even today. Sure, some of us have less hair, some of us have grown a little more portly, we all lead different lives (some still highly questionable)… but on the occasions when we do meet (as all 5 of us original members did 2 nights ago for the reunion) we still enjoy each other ( ::wink, wink::) and make each other laugh. That’s really something, isn’t it? (Bet Dr. Phil is stumped for an explanation for this.)

The reunion evening was spent reminiscing and catching up. Stories and incidents regaled, a lot of teasing was inflicted and even a new sketch performed. There was fabulous food, great drink and laughter… but above all the company was stellar!

So, my count this week is having shared this unique experience with this motley crew of talents (as well as all the others who were conned with promises of fame, money and hot easy sex contributed your time and brilliance being sucked into the vortex that was Foreplay).

To the original crew (bottom row) Don, John, (top row) Ron & Jeff… you all count (more than you will ever know) for actually going with this crazy idea so many years ago and helping facilitate my writing chops back then (yeah the idea was fueled by selfish reasons… if you must know)… but above all… for (still) being my friends and continuing to make me smile. Let’s try to run into each other again soon. And this time, lets make a sincere effort not to involve the SWAT team, exploding gators or insurance companies. Cheers!

To find out what Da Count is all about click the flashing sign above.

BTW… check out what Ms. Cosima and 250, 000 of her closest friends were up to yesterday.  UPDATE: She also posted her impressions of the event.

UPDATE: 4:40 PM

From the archives of Foreplay… here is a Kiddie Tale For The Deranged.

UPDATE: Zonthar also blogged about it HERE.