Jersey Boys opens this month as it tours Richmond. I am a fan of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. Every kid growing up in New York was a fan, and every kid in NYC wanted to be a Season. I listened to them endlessly, and after years of collecting their music, I decided to see them in concert. When I was 15, my younger sister, Marla, and I went to the Westbury Music Fair to see a live performance. My dad drove, and we arrived one hour before show time. With nothing else to do, I ventured backstage, hoping to glimpse the group — and there they were. Frankie was walking around, and I asked to take his picture. He saw that I was nervous and helped me set up a picture opportunity. The flash didn't work in my sister's Kodak Instamatic camera, and Frankie proceeded to lick every light bulb I had to help make contact for a flash. We didn't get our picture that day. The flash never did work. A year later, I decided to see Frankie again at the Empire Room in the Waldorf Astoria. After his show, I ventured into his room upstairs with another camera borrowed from my cousin Howie. My cousin had forgotten to recharge the batteries, and that picture never happened either. Frankie knew that I was disappointed and asked me to come back to try again some time. Moving forward three years, I made contact with Frankie again to set up an interview with him backstage at Madison Square Garden for my college radio station. This time, I brought another camera, fully charged with slide film. I also brought my fiancée, Elisa, to meet him as I conducted my interview. But Frankie had other things on his mind. This time, he was the one with a problem. He had planned to wear a new stage outfit that night, but his tailor hadn't hemmed the pants. We searched for a needle and thread to fix them, but no one had any. It was Elisa to the rescue. She grabbed his pants, found a hot iron and some hair spray, and proceeded to glue a hem on Frankie Valli's jumpsuit. A major catastrophe was averted, and Frankie gave Elisa a big hug and kiss. I grabbed my camera for a photo op. Frankie was happy that I finally got my picture, and the show went on. That night, he wanted us to stand along the stage as he performed. Several times, he pointed to his pants and smiled at Elisa. Another 17 years later, Frankie, Elisa and I recounted that story, and to this day he keeps an extra can of hairspray with him at all times. That night, we took another picture of all three of us to lock in the moment. Read more about Jersey Boys in our Datebook section, pages 41 and 44.
