Posts Tagged ‘Billy Hinsche’

Fangirls

Thursday, November 7th, 2013

me, tracy

One of the great qualities that I love about my friend Tracy is her spontaneity.  Her ability to say yes, especially at really wacky requests.  Like a few weeks ago.  I woke up and my husband asked me what I wanted to do,  and when I told him, he looked at me cockeyed so I let the whole idea go. Hours went by.  And, I had just about dropped it when Tracy called and I told her what it was I was thinking could be fun.  “Let’s do it,” she responded.  I didn’t even think I had verbalized what the plan was.  Before you know it, just twenty minutes later, we met at a convenient spot between our two homes.  I hopped in her car and we headed to visit our friends, the Billys at the autograph show.

It’s crazy going to these events unless you are the person signing the autograph.  But I know that sometimes the celebrities want their real friends to visit.   And anyway, I’m a bit of a freak and when someone on Facebook has as an outgoing status like, “Everyone come see me at the celebrity autograph show, ” I think they are talking to me.  I’m not really delusional but they wrote this and I feel like it would be so nice if I did actually show up. (more…)

Time Stands Still in My House

Saturday, June 29th, 2013

me, Billy Hinsche album cover

 

I know him forty years

~ Maurice Duke

 

I just love the way my day today played out.  I woke up to a phone message from my old friend Billy.  In the message he said he’s in town visiting his mother who had surgery and is now in rehab in Santa Monica and maybe we can get together later.  I called and said we should have lunch.  An hour later my husband and I were walking into our little village with Billy.  I had called Donna and Wendy, two friends that I knew would love to reconnect with him.  Donna managed to show up for a quick hug and kiss.  We grabbed a picture to prove it.  At lunch, we got caught up on all our gossip.  Then we hung out in my house where Billy showered and changed before heading out to a party.   We would leave before him to visit old friends of my dad’s for dinner.  Beverly and Lou.  My father would say about Lou and almost everyone else: “I know him 40 years.”  And now I, too, have known Lou and Beverly for 40 years.

During the rest of the afternoon at my house, the phone would occasionally ring and it would be the same names as forty years ago.  Here we are in 2013, and it’s the all the same people.  I kept putting Billy on the phone with them. (more…)

D, D & B and ME

Wednesday, November 16th, 2011

Dino, Desi & Billy were the Hansen or Justin Bieber of our day. It was the mid-to-late 60’s and the Beatles had hit the States and our hearts. But of course there was room to love other boys. And D, D & B were our homeboys. They were in our orbit; lived on our blocks, frequented the same restaurants. AND, they were CUTE!!!!! Oh, my God, they were — in Paris Hilton’s word — HOT!!!!!!!

About a year into Beatlemania, Dino, Desi & Billy formed their band. They became teenage heartthrobs across the country and were featured in all the popular teen magazines.

At about the time D, D & B were famous, Billy played on my brother Alan’s baseball team. Pony League games. I will never forget them … because they were long fuckin days for a bored little sister. Sitting in those bleachers was tedious. But there were some really cute boys on those teams, like Billy (Alan Harris and Steve Fine). My dad and Billy’s dad became friends in those bleachers. Both were older dads. They seemed to have a lot in common and we were invited to dinner at the Hinsches’. My dad formed his own friendships with Dino, Desi & Billy, and his whole life called Dean, “little Dean” and Desi, “little Desi” to distinguish them from their fathers – Dean Martin and Desi Arnaz.

Just as our dads formed a lifelong friendship, so did Billy and I. When I remarried , my brother Alan and his wife Kris threw us a small wedding party. Billy had been in the Beach Boys for years, so I asked him to give me a special present and sing “God Only Knows.” When he did there was not a dry eye in the house.

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