Kaiser Bill Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 A band I was in in high school now has a web site...this picture showed up on it. I don't remember the picture being taken at all. I was taken aboard my ship in 1964. I had just bought a fake Fender Jaguar in the Philippines for $75. I was 18 in this photo. I left the band after high school to join the Navy in '63. The leader of that band has a law suit against Tom Hanks for using our story in the movie "That Thing You Do". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karloff Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Cool pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jedzep Posted May 17, 2015 Share Posted May 17, 2015 Suweet...very 'Stray Cats'. Hey, if you still have it, kindly PM me the pic of you and Buddy Merrill. Thanks, Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevDavidLee Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 The leader of that band has a law suit against Tom Hanks for using our story in the movie "That Thing You Do". Very cool picture!!!! And thank you for your service!!! Can you explain how the story in that movie is your band's story? I'm curious.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 woa what a cool photo Bill, and I'm w/The Rev,, thank you for your service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted May 18, 2015 Share Posted May 18, 2015 Great picture, I am sure it is a treat to see a pic you never knew existed from such a long time ago. I grew up in the 80s and as teenagers we were just too cool for pics (yea there was such a thing) well I took a full tool of film of me and my friends and after 30 years those pics are pure gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Can you explain how the story in that movie is your band's story? I'm curious.. Yeah! I would like to hear. I like that movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Hayden Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Very cool picture!!!! And thank you for your service!!! Can you explain how the story in that movie is your band's story? I'm curious.. +1 me too 4H Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tman Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Very cool photo KB. Were you playing a 7th of some sort? You were obviously in the midst of writing a song. 😀 I too want to hear the Tom Hanks story if you are able to talk about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murph Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I too want to hear the Tom Hanks story if you are able to talk about it. And me...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Autumn Light&Shade Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 Hi Kaiser Bill, that is one cool photo I too would like to hear the story. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelvinator Posted May 19, 2015 Share Posted May 19, 2015 I heard the the movie was based on a band in Erie... Never knew it was your band Bill! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted May 19, 2015 Author Share Posted May 19, 2015 Here goes.... we were a top 40 band with a few recorded originals. The first recordings were done in a church exactly like the movie. We often played for Gannon College frat parties. In the movie the "Oneders" played a talent show at Villa Maria College. Villa Maria is a real college in Erie Pa. In the movie the "Oneders" played at a place by the airport called "Villapiano's". In fact there was a place called "The Village" a few miles from the airport. In 1963 the bass player (leader) and myself graduated high school. We played a few of the local dances, and I went into the Navy in August of that year. The band replaced me with two guitarists and soldiered on. They ended up going to Pittsburgh to do more recording. In the movie they went to Pittsburgh to do a showcase. Shortly after their first 45 came out the guitar player that took my place was drafted. In the movie it was the bass player that went into the Marines and never showed up to do their television debut. They hired a keyboard player to take the drafted guitarists place.. The key board and the bass player wrote all the tunes after that. In the movie the one that wrote all the songs was the lead singer. The band went on to do a few albums and several single releases. In the movie they only do one single and the band breaks up. When the band breaks up in the movie, the drummer moves to Seattle and becomes a musical director at a high school. In real life I moved to Seattle after the service. Many similarities...so much that the leader filed a law suit against Hanks and Play Tone. The movie was partly filmed less than two miles from where I was living in Orange County California. The restaurant they used in the movie was where my wife and I would have breakfast on Sundays. The movie debuted in Erie at the Warner theater. There is also another band from Erie that has a law suit agains Hanks because of many similarities of their story as well. They went on to become a top show band in Vegas until disco killed music for everybody. As for my service...you are all very welcome. It was peace time when I enlisted. I ended up right smack dab in the middle of the Viet Nam war. August 4th 1964 was when we received word that our destroyer escorts had been attacked by the North Vietnamese. Much later in life I was told...IT NEVER HAPPENED. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAC Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 There are probably a hundred bands with similar stories. I feel the fact that two bands are have pending litigation will take away validity for both parties as well. I could see the mob having a law suit towards Mario Puzo as a stronger case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted May 20, 2015 Author Share Posted May 20, 2015 Yeas...I felt the same way...I'm glad I didn't get caught up in the whole legal thing. Its never going anywhere. Its been over 20 years and they've never seen a penny. The mob wouldn't waste its time with a law suit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Yeas...I felt the same way...I'm glad I didn't get caught up in the whole legal thing. Its never going anywhere. Its been over 20 years and they've never seen a penny. The mob wouldn't waste its time with a law suit. You've got a great attitude about the whole thing, Bill. And folks, having met Bill in person, I can assure he is as great a guy in real life as he appears to be in this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeman Posted May 23, 2015 Share Posted May 23, 2015 Cool story! As i get older I cherish the memories of my days in a working band. They were great times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 Surf...thanks so much for the endorsement...LOL I will be headed North on Wednesday to the Mayo clinic to see if they can do anything for the Mrs. I'll mention your name when I pass thru your town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 Surf...thanks so much for the endorsement...LOL I will be headed North on Wednesday to the Mayo clinic to see if they can do anything for the Mrs. I'll mention your name when I pass thru your town. I've heard nothing but good things about Mayo - hope they can help your lovely wife. However, mentioning my name in North Florida probably won't help you in any way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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