Look Who it Was Random video

Take a Look at a Book

3,685 views · Published 9 March 2009 · 2:59 · Indexed 10 October 2026

Channel: Lee Harris · 2009 · Music

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The sweet mysteries of life. I was in a band called The Others that played the Open High talent show in 1986 (and won - in your face Excentrix!) One of the judges was Jerry Williams. I knew him from when he did the movie reviews for WTVR Channel 6. He later did them for Style. Anyhoo, his day job was working for the City of Richmond making educational videos. After seeing us at the Open High thing he came to to see The Others at New Horizons upstairs - a benefit for John Sarvay's fanzine. I believe the lineup was The Guilty (Mike Bishop's High School Heavy Metal Band), us, and Near East (Dean Rasmussen, Tom Jamerson Frank Pichel- this band sort of turned into Glory Hole later with Damon Cook, Dereck Wilson, and Todd Witteman). Jerry offered Brian and I this job to be in this video. They had a clothing budget, and he took us to JC Penny's where I bought that purple scarf. It was a 2 day shoot at City Hall - where I'm assuming the Richmond Public School offices are (were?). They had a TV studio in there. Barry Fitzgerald wrote the song - and Johnny Hott plays drums on it, and the guitarist is named Mudd. There is a longer version of this that also has Brandon from Hard Times and "Punk Rock Charlie" (Charlie O'??). Not singing, but acting out one of the books. I, being the 'artiste' insisted I sing to the prerecorded track 'cause I thought it'd look silly for me to lipsynch to someone else's voice.

I noticed last night when digitizing this Brian and I are wearing the exact same clothes we wore at The Others' Monacan High School show - which I have on videotape and will never ever post. John Sarvay (and Jeff Squire I think?) at the end of the Others Show got onstage to announce the fanzine benefit show at New Horizons, so all of these things must have happened over a short period of time.

The only time I've ever talked to Johnny Hott I said "I was the guy that sang "Take a Look at a Book,"" and he looked at me strangely and said "Oh, cool."

That New Horizons gig seems to be the crossroads of my life. Mike Bishop, of course, went on to Gwar, as did Brad Roberts. Near East's singer, Frank Pichel, was Tina, my wife's, room mate at the time. In the audience that day was Tom and Dave McCormack, who I never really met 'til Monty started bringing them around and we ended up doing Meanflower together.

And that's what it's all about.

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