Remember Gary Lewis and the Playboys? Just kiddin' you youngsters! 65 years old, he is the son of Jerry Lewis. Remember Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis? Naw? Well his Daddy runs the Labor Day Telethon!
Anyhoo, he and the “Playboys” were featured at Disneyland, Anaheim, California in the early 60s. It was where I first heard them. I was a 19 year old Marine, stationed nearby at El Toro. My back home girlfriend, a crazy little redhead, and her Mama came out to Cali to see me off. I had just received orders to go back to Vietnam. I had 10 days leave.
The war was starting to get serious, and they came to say their goodbyes. I wanted her, what'd you bring your Mama for? They thought I would be killed, or worse, come home with a head injury. One of the songs on the Gary Lewis album was “This Diamond Ring”. I had bought that crazy redhead a diamond ring in an Oceansidejewelry store! We had talked of getting married, actually Mama had! We were both 19, she wanted that ring, I wanted her, but her Mama wasn't going to leave us alone for a minute, not till we said the “I DUZ”.
The US Marine Corps also said no to my request to get married. If we wanted you to have a wife we woulda issued you one. Turns out they were right. The Vietnam war was good for the marriage business, with Las Vegas up the road, beaucoup Marines were gettin hitched.
Anyhoo, to make the long story longer, we (her MaMa and the Marines) decided we should wait till I got out, Good Idea! A month out of ‘Nam, and no longer feelin’ like sayin' the “I Duze”, that crazy little redhead gave me back that Oceanside diamond ring. She said I wasn't the same man anymore! She was right for once. I never did get any! I just wanted some...Fun!!!
I was happy, sold that diamond ring, and bought drag pipes for my Sportster from a new MC shop called Drag Specialties. That ring didn't shine for me anymore! Gary Lewis was drafted into the Army in 1967. He went to Vietnam, getting out in 1968. The Playboys never again attained the success they had enjoyed earlier! I traded in that album at the Wax Museum for a Stones’ “Paint it Black” album! This will be the first time I have heard “This Diamond Ring” since 1966. Paint it, Paint It, Paint it Black! Rat-a-tat-tat!! sound of a 50 Caliber!!!...
No comments:
Post a Comment