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Thursday, August 3, 2006
Kathy’s Song
When the Isle of Capri Casino & Resort called and asked me if I could come do Art Garfunkel’s hair and makeup for his concert this past Saturday night, I said, “YES,” and thought of junior high. “Ceceliaâ€? was my favorite song to sing to and my sisters and I used to dance like wild maniacs on my mother’s white champagne shag carpet in front of the hi fi stereo. I grew up with the music of Simon and Garfunkel. In high school, their songs became standards for band and choir. My big question was, did Art really have any hair to do?
When I arrived at the Isle of Capri in Shreveport, my contact Trela was there to greet me. She took me to the concert hall and as I entered, Art Garfunkel was doing sound check and rehearsing with the band on the stage. His personal assistant introduced himself and told to have a seat. As soon as they were finished, he would escort me back to the dressing rooms.
As I sat listening to my almost personal concert, I was instantly back in 1969. When I was 13, I could not figure out how if someone got up to wash their face when they went back to bed how someone could have taken their place, as in the song “Cecelia�. I had to laugh at my own innocence, which was lost, completely when I saw the film “The Graduate�. I think everybody who grew up in the seventies could sing verbatim “And here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson.� Years later, I found out that Anne Bancroft was actually only like four years older than Dustin Hoffman in the movie. At the time, I was appalled that someone would “sleep�, as we said then, with the mother of his girlfriend. Today, this would be on daytime television only the young man would “another word� with both the mother and the girlfriend at the same time. I reflected on how I missed those days of innocence.
Rehearsal over, I was led back through the maze of the concert hall to the dressing rooms. The first band member walked by and asked me if I could iron his shirt. “Sure I could iron his shirt.� As he handed me this Hawaiian shirt with cocktail drinks all over it. I wondered if all makeup artists were asked to iron shirts.
Art Garfunkel entered and very politely asked me if I was the person who was to help him get ready. Really friendly twinkly eyes, he looked exactly like I remembered, yet older but in a good way. He really had not changed much over the years except his hair had receded into that horseshoe shape. He asked me also if I could help him pick out a shirt and then press it. Sure, I could iron his shirt. I mean how cool to iron Art Garfunkel’s shirt. I would have polished his shoes, as I pinched myself to believe I was actually in the presence of Art Garfunkel.
I guess Art Garfunkel is kind of like an icon to me of the sixties and seventies. The sound, the harmonies that really changed the way men were perceived. This was the sound of men more in tune to their feminine side, a softer, gentler side; there was a change in the air. The folk singers, Woodstock, we were going to change the world by being passive yet pro-active. Make peace, not war. I thought of a poster that had a daisy perched in the gun barrel end of the rifle. I would just take this all in and go with the flow.
Art was presenting the shirts he was thinking about wearing and as he asked me about the deep purple one, the one that looked like a gambler’s shirt, shouldn’t he wear that shirt? I agreed, it did look a bit like Vegas. He then looked as his slacks then decided that jeans were in order. I definitely agreed that Art Garfunkel should only wear jeans. He then told me that jeans should never be ironed, just washed, and worn as he pulled a rolled up pair out of a duffel bag. I couldn’t agree more as I am highly suspicious of any man that has jeans with starched creases. Rather screams “Urban Cowboy� and not a child of the seventies, you know what I mean.
As I went out into the hall to press Art’s deep violet silk shirt with black lace silk down each side in the front, his assistant told me that I would have to place towels on the floor, so the shirt would never touch the carpet. I used a cloth napkin on top of the shirt as I pressed so the iron would never touch the silk. The assistant periodically would move the towels to ensure the shirt never touched the carpet. I thought wow; this must be what it is like to be a big time star.
Now his assistant told me that Art might not let me do his hair and makeup, he might just do it himself. Hmmm, I thought I was making quite an amount of change to iron just a couple of shirts when Art leaned out his dressing room door and called, “Kathy, you do, do makeup right?�
As I entered his dressing room, I assured him I was a salon professional and use to work for Elizabeth Arden as a make-up artist. I had been a hair stylist and make-up artist for almost thirty years. If he would just tell me what he wanted done, I would make him look just perfect.
He explained that he just wanted a minimal look and of course, he would be adding his hairpiece that would need to be checked and adjusted. I am only telling you this as he told everyone at the concert that he wore a hairpiece. It is not a secret. Normally, I don’t understand why men wear hairpieces but this one was so fine, such a perfect match, that when he put it on, I thought, ah ha! Here is Art Garfunkel.
As he silently read a poem, he was to read on stage, I did his makeup. After he finished we chatted as we did the final touchups. He turned to me and said, “What do you think of George Bush?�
I replied, “Personally, not much lately.� Realizing that he was wanting to know my political beliefs, I blurted out, “Now if you want to know where I stand in politics? I am the petition drive chairperson for Kinky Friedman for Governor in Marion County, Texas. He smiled the biggest smile you have ever seen and told me that he loved Kinky Friedman. I continued that Kinky had been to my hair salon/bookstore, the biggest book signing I had ever hosted, and I was planning to vote for him for Governor of Texas.
Now when I was in beauty school, we were told you were never, never, never, suppose to talk religion, politics, or sex. But this was the man who sang to the world about all of those things.
We talked about Kinky for a while and suddenly, I knew I had made his approval. I had passed the test. He asked me if I would step out while he got dressed and if I would stay to check him out right before he went on the stage. I told him, of course I would.
When I stepped back in the hall, the band was arriving from their dressing rooms and we chatted. I think they were all amazed that I had actually done his hair and makeup. They asked me what I did and I told them I owned a hair salon/bookstore and ran the largest book club in the world. The keyboardist asked me what I was reading, I told him “The Transformation� by Catherine Chidnet, and I had just finished “Small Town Odds� by Jason Headley and “The Dressmaker� by Elizabeth Oberbeck. We were off and talking about books when Art called me back into the dressing room. As I put on the light finishing touches, Art Garfunkel sang to me. It was if time stood still. I never want to forget that moment. Art Garfunkel was singing just for me.
Time to go and we all walked down the hall to the concert room. I knew that around fifty of my Pulpwood Queen book club members had come to the concert and were on the other side of the doors. Art thanked me and I told him, again, “It was my pleasure.�
As I took my seat for the concert, I closed my eyes and for that time, I was just a kid again. My good friend Carol Lancaster Lucky leaned over and whispered, “God, I feel like I did back when I was young.� I whispered back, “Me too, only 100 pounds heavier.� We just lost it as we tried to muffle our laughter then we just got lost in the music. After the second encore, the band began that rousing drumbeat and rhythm of my favorite song “Cecelia� and I was on my feet. They could not keep me from dancing to “Cecelia, your breaking my heart. You’re shaking my confidence daily.�
I told Carol the only thing that would have made it any better is if the entire audience had had Bic lighters. She laughed and said, “No way, that would be a fire hazard!� As we swayed to the music, we got lost in the music of our youth and the continuing music of artistry of Art Garfunkel.
Later on as we all poured out of the concert halls, everybody was talking about what a great concert that really was. I could not have agreed more. Everyone told me he looked fantastic, in fact, he looked exactly as they remembered him but they could not believe it was a hairpiece when he made that announcement. I told them, “The magic of make-up and beauty.�
Another great adventure for the Pulpwood Queen and again the wonderful place books can take you. Art Garfunkel also told me that he has walked across America and is now on a journey walking around the world, next stop, Istanbul. He told me he was thinking of writing a book and I told him, “That would be a book I would want to read, he should begin immediately.�
For more on Art Garfunkel, go to www.artgarfunkel.com and if I were all of you, I would check out his next concert appearances and let him know you would like to read that book too! He is an American treasure and instantly made me feel young again. That is worth the price of any ticket.
Singing, “Cecelia, I’m down on my knees, begging you please, to come home.�
Kathy L. Patrick
Founder of the Pulpwood Queens Book Clubs
Hairdresser to the Authors and can say, even once to Art Garfunkel!
