Running into Long-Lost Friends at the Karaoke Bar (aka How Small is My World?)

Cristo Brown and Spencer Wang

As I was saying in my last post, Las Casuelas Nuevas poured a generous margi, and I’m pretty sure this was the reason that one of the speeches did meander a bit and veer slightly from toast to roast.  I was half expecting the Sandman from Showtime at the Apollo to come and sweep my friend Anthony off-stage (of course, my first clue should’ve been that upon arriving, the first thing both Anthony and his wife asked me was “Where’s the bar?” - in separate ears, mind you), but who cares?  Then, Spencer Wang and Cristo Brown screened a spoof of the proposal video that they had made with PhotoShop.  It was hysterical (apparently, Sasha had exclaimed “Oh my God!” 22 times, over the course of three minutes).

Chad Gutstein busts a move at Peabody's Café

After dinner, it was into Downtown Palm Springs to Peabody’s Café (aka Peabody’s Coffee Bar and Jazz Studio), for a dose of karaoke.  When I arrived I was in for a surprise (more than the one I got upon hearing the groom doing a bang-up job of Young MC’s “Bust a Move”).  As a further example that my world just grows smaller and smaller, I (literally) walked into two guys I knew in college.  One of them had been seeing one of my besties, while the other came to town, for a weekend in order to shoot an “experimental” film for school.  So, there I am, walking into a karaoke bar in Palm Springs, and see this guy, who looks familiar, but I just can’t place him.  “I know you…” I say.  “What’s your name?”  “Hugo” he responds. 

Hugo Tillman and Jeff Palmer outside of Peabody's Café

“Oh my God!” I shrieked.  “Hugo Tillman?!?!  Michael Shulman!” (Keep in mind, I weigh nearly twice as much now, as I did my sophomore year in college, so I felt it bore saying.)  “Well then, you know Mr. Palmer…” Hugo says, gesturing to the tall man, behind him.  I do a double-take, again.  “Jeff Palmer!  How the hell are ya?” They tell me they’re going across the street to Ruby’s, but they’ll be right back.  Meanwhile my friends are looking at me like I’m insane.  I walk into Peabody’s, my mind reeling, only to see/hear Chad, busting a move.  A short while later, the guys returned, and I came to find-out that they had been buddies with Chad’s college friend, Cristo, during their prep-school days in New York.  It turns out that everyone there who knew Chad prior to his late 20s had heard about this legendary Bacchanalian movie of Hugo’s.  Of course, as usual, yours truly fell ass-backwards into actually being in the movie…

"Betty Davis Eyes" - Kim Carnes

And what about the karaoke?  Well, as you might be aware, I love the stage; and while I might normally throw-on a boa and shout-out my take on “I’d Like to Hate Myself in the Morning (and Raise a Little Hell, Tonight)” or “Whatever Shulman Wants (Shulman Gets)” – on this occasion, I had actually made-up my mind to sing Kim Carnes’ eighties classic “Bette Davis Eyes” (always a crowd-pleaser).  Unfortunately, it was not to be, as there were 28 people signed-up by the time I arrived, and I just don’t have that kind of attention span.  Next: the wedding!