A lot of Philadelphia "traditions" have left the city. Tastykakes, and Goldenberg Peanut Chews are available nearly anywhere in the country now. But, one Philly icon is still here - after 50 years as a disk jockey (though he likes to call himself "an entertainer") - Jerry Blavat, "The Geator with the heater; the boss with the hot sauce". As someone who planned to go into radio in the Philly area in the 1960s, I admired the Geator and his sense of musical tastes. I still listen regularly to him on his weekly show on listener-supported WXPN in Philly, and often see him around town (he lives in the neighborhood). So when I heard he was writing his autobiography, and it was being published this summer, "answering the questions (he's) always asked", I was psyched. Now that I've read the book, I'm glad he wrote it. But this isn't exactly the book I hoped for. Still, it's a "must read" for anyone over 55 who grew up in Philly.
The pacing in the book is a bit odd. As expected, the early chapters deal with his earliest years - growing up in South Philly, the child of an Italian mother and a Jewish father (who was a small time bookie and was rarely around the house). Like other parts of the book, we learn things about the Geator that very few folks know, such as his infatuation with Native American (Indian) culture and his love for classic movies. We learn how he ended up appearing on the original Bandstand TV show (before it went national) and the "back story" on original host Bob Horn's dismissal (and subsequent replacement by Dick Clark). This is fascinating stuff, and the way the Geator relates it, is great. THIS is the material I wanted to hear about! I also wanted to learn how he started his legendary "record hops" at his club, Memories, in Margate, NJ - about 70 minutes from Philly. (I never got to Memories - still going strong today - but did attend his record hops in the 1980s. ) And this material is here. But there's more that fans may not want to spend time reading about, especially the Geator's time the sack with women in his life. Nearly every woman he bedded is described in detail; he even remembers the name of the $300 hooker from 1967! By page 45 - he's only about 14 then - we learn about his first sexual encounter. Speaking of "name", the Geator sure has a memory for names, and the book is loaded with them, famous and not. Every doctor or lawyer he ever saw - or recommended is here; as well as the famous Hollywood stars he knew. (Do you really want to know the name of Sammy Davis Jr.'s security guy? <g> This may be the first autobiography I've read that has a FIVE-page (in tiny print) "Index" of names. And not all the names are even there.
There are some REALLY funny stories here including one about Chuck Berry (page 237) that's a hoot! And, it's the stories about the musical artists - and his fellow radio personalities - that make the best reading and are the reason Geator fans will want to read the book. By the time you are two-thirds through the book you are wondering when the Geator is going to talk about his legal problems and his "alleged" association with the Mafia in Philly. It comes on page 265 (of 347 pages) in the chapter titled "Loyalty". The Geator lays it all out here. This is followed by a lengthy section on the last days of Sammy Davis Jr.- who first appeared on the Geator's TV show in mid 60s - and how the Geator was the first person to find Davis dead. It's a very personal section. This was in 1990 - 21 years ago - and yet we are almost at the end of the book by then. The semi-annual concerts at the Kimmel Center who a paragraph or two on how he ended up on WXPN are only some of the things I'd like to know more about. (Maybe in another book?)
If you want to read about national celebrities, the Geator has plenty to tell you. In addition to Davis, you'll read about Sinatra, Bette Davis, and an infatuated -and somewhat inebriated - Joan Crawford, newspaper magnate Walter Annenberg and the Geator's next-door neighbor (!) Cardinal Krol - both of who would come to the Geator's house for dinner regularly!. The Geator knew EVERYONE!
Part of the problem may be that - as the cover states clearly - the book is "As told to Steve Oskie". Oskie is a Philly playwright and, even in his "Acknowledgements", the Geator mentions that Oskie compiled the book, from interviews transcribed by the Geator's current partner Keely Stahl. So, it may be Oskie, who decided what to include and leave out of the book. But it certainly had the Geator's approval.
The proofreading could have been better with obvious misspellings like Robin Hood Del East (Dell has two "l"s), "Pater" Falk (instead of Peter) and, on page 339, "Gino's" (the old hamburger chain), when he meant Geno's at 9th and Passyunk And while I trust most of what the Geator remembers about the Philly radio industry - of which is was a pioneer and Hall of Fame inductee - he gets a few facts wrong about radio stations and their location. Early in the book (page 148) he places WAAT (the station I worked for in 1960-62) in New Brunswick, when the station was in Trenton. And he refers to the station owned by Ed Hurst in Trenton in 1980 as WKIX, when the call letters were WKXW (101.5) though it was referred to as "Kix Fm". (WKIX is in Raleigh, NC). And, maybe the Geator is right but I find it hard to believe that - 2001 - Mayor John Street had never heard of - as Blavat relates on page 336 - "The Geator". These may not be major errors but should be corrected in future printings.
There's more I could tell you about the book but that would spoil some of the fun. (Anyone remember Memories West - his Center City Philly restaurant? How about his TB dance party shows on WCAU and WFIL TV?) Yes, I could have used a few less pages on the Geator's sexual appetite, and a lot more of behind the scenes stories of the rock and roll artists he hired (like the aforementioned Chuck Berry story and his first paying job as road manager for Danny & The Juniors). After all, it was the Geator who introduced a whole generation (actually two!) to talents he discovered (know jazz guitar master Pat Martino? Geator discovered him when Martino was 13!). Still, anyone who grew up in the Delaware Valley in the 1960s or 70s, will find this a fun read, though not as "balanced" as most - including myself - would like.
Rock on Jerry! And thanks for the memories - and the inside stories.
Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"
