The Teenage Fair

More of my upcoming-if-anyone-publishes-it book on growing up in the San Fernando Valley in the 60s. This is spring break, 1965. I'm still too young to drive.
The Hollywood Palladium was a theater built in the 40s in Hollywood to stage big band concerts. From Tommy Dorsey to Doo Doo Brown this art deco palace has hosted ‘em all over the last seven decades. In the 60s it was the spring break home of the Teenage Fair. The Palladium inside and outside was filled with exhibits and booths. Guitars on display, decals, flyers, motorcycles, dance contests, electronic equipment, cosmetics, surfing demonstrations, radio remotes, record racks, and live concerts.

I wanted to bring a date but the two-hour bus ride each way proved to be a deal breaker.

In ten minutes I’m already bored. So I meander past the drug paraphernalia exhibit and adjacent Army recruiting booth to see which superstar was performing in the main room. It was a couple and they were God awful. No wonder they were booked for noon. She was this scrawny Goth chick and he was this middle aged goomba with a huge schnoz, a Beatle haircut, and a fur vest. Luigi Flintstone & Morticia. She at least could sing. He sounded like an ambulance siren. There were maybe eight of us watching this pathetic display, convinced that these were the two biggest losers on the planet. On the other hand, I can say I discovered Sonny & Cher.