Gary Herb & Johnny Potato!
by Michael Baker
Doing a live act in a gay bar on a Friday
night, with a crowd into heavy drinking and
heavy cruising (like any bar in the world on
any Friday night), takes guts. And if the crowd
isn’t used to live entertainment, it can be really
tough. Just before press time, we received
this letter from a reader in Raleigh:
To the Editor, Front Page:
1 am writing to: (1) comment on the
audience who saw (certainly not heard) Gary
Herb and Johnny Potato at 42nd Street on
October 30; and (2) to encourage your
readers to see and hear them during their
engagement at Stephen’s/after all in Chapel
Hill.
The reception given these entertainers last
Friday night was an embarassment. Live
entertainment — really live — is rare in the
area s gay bars, and performers of this caliber
are rarer still. That the performers has to
interrupt their act several times to request
quiet was completely unnecessary. When
Gary Herb had to stop in the middle of a
ballad to ask, “Is anyone listening?," is an
outrage. Is this how our community supports
two of our own?
Many of us in attendance had come
expressly to hear “two-thirds of GOTHAM, ”
a group enjoyed and appreciated in the past.
We were denied that, as they were denied
even minimal consideration. The
professionalism of the two performers was
all, surely, that kept them from walking off the
stage (although that was requested by
several hecklers). They were gracious, and
deserved so much more from us.
Already I’m beginning to hear gay people
say, “No, I’m not going to see them. I heard
from someone who saw them in Durham that
they were terrible. ” This rumor is completely
ridiculous! It was the audience that was
terrible.
Their appearance at Stephen's will,
fortunately, give many of us another
opportunity to see them and, this time, hear
them. Johnny Potato’s lyrics span camp/
clever/poignant — they need to be heard, and
l look forward to that opportunity. Gary Herb
is a versatile and extremely talented
performer — perhaps the audience at
Stephen’s will appreciate that.
For the record, Gary Herb says he took no
notice of hecklers at 42nd Street. Like a true
professional, he concentrated on performing
for those who were paying attention. When
asked about last Friday, he told The Front
Page:
“It went very well, I thought. There were
about 850 people there and they really
seemed to like us. There were some people
“This bright duo put forth a lively load of
entertainment on its opening shot, zany
original songs with an underpinning of
oldies, or takeoffs on oldies.”
— San Francisco Chronicle
“Fast songs mixed with faster comic
jibes in a performance that was lyrical,
uproarious, melodic and, er, raw.”
* — Washington Post
“A highly kinetic personality, Herb
moves virtually non-stop. . . Potato
provides a strong accompaniment and
also does some solo singing with a
Hoagy Carmichael-like twang.”
— Women’s Wear Daily (!! !)
(Reader’s name is withheld by request.)
The Front Page was sorry to hear that
things had not gone well at 42nd Street. I’m
sure this is not the sort of reception that the
management wanted. . . after all, they went
to the trouble to invite Gary Herb and Johnny
Potato to appear. Perhaps Friday night was
simply not the right night to do it, perhaps
there wasn’t time enough to adapt the dance
floor into a proper stage — who knows?
What’s discouraging about this sort of thing is
that club owners may not be willing to try
other live acts in the future, or ask Gary and
Johnny backvand that would be a shame.
talking all around the back and I had to ask a
couple of times if they were listening to us. But
I was real pleased about it. I thought the crowd
was wonderful.”
For those, like most of the staff of The Front
Page, who are planning to catch these two
while tfciey’re in Chapel Hill, here’s some
background info:
The act known today as Herb & Potato was
formed in June 1980. This isn’t the first time,
as many of you know, as partners on
Now is that a come on or is that a come on?
(Treat Williams in “Prince of the City."How
many remember him in the film of "Hair" ?)
stage. . . both were original members of
GOTHAM, the male trio which split up Iasi
year, shortly after their engagement in
Raleigh, after working together seven years.
Now as a duo. Herb continues his career as
lead vocalist and ringleader with the deadpan
Potato making his special mess at the
keyboard.
Together after their four year absence,
Gary Herb and Johnny Potato have created
an intimate cabaret act “using every tasteful
gimmick in the book,” Herb comments. “Even
our grandmothers would understand this
act,” which includes Herb’s impression of
Ethel Merman sleeping with a hive of killer
bees and such songs as“Supoena”(a spoof of
IVes/ Side Story's “Maria”), a country and
western satire called “You Want Me To Get
You A Beer,” “I’m Just A Fugitive From White
FM," and perhaps even “Jesus Drives A
Yellow Mustang” or the "Birth Control
Blues.” This outrageous musical duo will be
appearing at Stephen's in Chapel Hill
Wednesdays thru Sundays, now thru
November 15. call (919) 929 0217 for more
information or to make reservations
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929-7133