Endurance

My dance partner, Dick Vivian, died. I just found out. A D.J. Devoted an hour on KALW to his achievements and importance, especially to musicians. It’s true. Dick’s record store on Haight was a source of more than 45’s. Dick knew everything about music from the 50’s and 60’s. There was a brief mention of TV20 Dance Party. A memorial is in the planning stage. It will be huge. I’m going to round up some photos for the online dedication site.

Dick was very quick witted. He had a comment that was always unexpected and funny. He worked at a restaurant around the corner from my hair salon and that’s how we met. Dick came in for a haircut. After the cut was finished, we stepped out on the sidewalk and did our first dance. He was very precise, but gave me thumbs up on my dancing. Later on, another hair client was looking for dancers for a new TV show. And the rest is TV20 history.

A couple of his friends are going to keep running Dick’s record store, Rooky Ricardo’s. That’s good. There must be a few hundred thousand 45’s of 50’s and 60’s music. It’s no museum. People are dancing while they check out the records. It’s more of a cultural hub. The last I saw Dick was about two weeks ago. I didn’t ask questions about his burial. I did bring a list of topics if the conversation lagged. He was very tired. For example, I brought up one time while he was waiting tables, the pen in his pocket lifted off the wig of an elderly lady he was serving. You can imagine the surprise to both of them. Wig restored, a very big, shared laugh.

I will miss Dick. I wrote a well received eulogy for Mel. And one for grandmother. The idea is to draw on moments that reveal their character. Recognizable to the attendees, enough so they can smile or even chuckle. For grandmother, I couldn’t attend, so I emailed what I wrote to my sister. Because she and I have different computers. (I have a Mac and she has another type) the eulogy transmitted all mixed up. I read it to her on the telephone. Patti cut and pasted and then called it the ‘ransom eulogy’ .

I don’t think I can write a eulogy for Dick. Our shared experience was a small part of his expansive life. What I can do is be ready with a short page if they ask the attendees to speak at the mike. So, that’s what I’ll do. Short and light, poignant, inclusive and how endearing he was. That’s a pretty tall order, better get busy.

I called this post ‘endurance’ because life tests that.