Ten Questions & Answers for:
SHOW BIZ TRIPPING…
A raucous, wild, memoir of life on the road, producing
Wheel of Fortune, Live!
The North American Tour, Live! On Stage!
A memoir and expose by traveler, Bruce J Starin
1. What made you decide to write a book about the international tour you produced of “Wheel of Fortune Live!”
During the thirties and forties my father traveled with the Ringling Brother, Barnum and Bailey Circus as a “talker” (nee barker) for various side shows and events occurring along the midway prior to folks entering the “Big Top” for the three-ring circus inside. I was always intrigued by his stories of the shenanigans – some legal, some not - carried on by himself and his fellow carnies as they toured the country in a circus train. I bemoaned the fact I would never have the opportunity to experience the same, as time and my pampered upbringing didn’t include running away to join the circus. That is, until the opportunity arose for me to create and produce a live version of the popular television game show, “Wheel of Fortune” for an international truck and bus tour encompassing forty venues in sixteen weeks “on the road”.
2. Who was the Host of your show?
Bob Eubanks hosted the show even with his years of hosting “The Newlywed Game” as well as sharing the announcers booth with Stephanie Edwards for the annual Rose Bowl Parade. He was given the “Star Cabin” in the rear of the bus, complete with its own wide screen tv, Queen sized bed, mini-fridge, ceiling hatch that could open and closed and a writing desk. When asked why even bothered with the tedium of touring he would smile and say, “Just makin’ hay when the sun shines!”
3. Did Bob live on the bus full time with the crew?
Actually he didn’t. Both he and I would leave the bus after weekend dates and fly home to Bob Hope Airport in Burbank, while the bus and crew traveled to the next venue, usually the following weekend.
4. Did anyone use Bob’s “Star Cabin” during his absence?
As his cabin had the only window that opened – the roof hatch – I’m told the boys would occasionally sneak into his cabin to smoke cigarettes and other herbaceous goodies… but were sure to air the place out prior to Bobs return. He was an inveterate straight arrow – who never smoked and claimed the one time in his life he did swallow a mouthful of beer was to win a bet… and claims he never did so again.
5. Who were the members of your “Crew”?
We traveled with a Tour Manager, who recently ran Madonna’s national tour, a Standards and Practices Official who served as our Judge and legal consultant, a Stage Manager, a Sound and Lighting technician and an Electronics Manager, as well as myself who served as the Show Producer. The assorted “roadies”, each a wild character in their own right, were considered the “leads” at each venue. They were responsible for the hiring of extra folks to assist in the setup, running the show, striking and loading the set on our truck after the show. We would then hit the road for the next venue.
6. What were the accommodations on the bus for the crew?
The bus could accommodate up to twelve crew members in bunks, three to a tier and there were four tiers. As we were only eight folks, the bunks were reconfigured two to a tier, closed off with heavy individual drapes. Each bunk had round port holes, a tv, CD and DVD player, and an AM/FM radio, as well as headphone jacks so as not to disturb the others. There was also a full-sized galley, a bathroom, a dining table as well as another large screen tv in the main forward cabin.
7. That sounds quite luxurious – are all touring busses equipped that way?
Absolutely not. Our bus driver was the daughter of the owner of the bus design company, and gave her our cherried out bus for her 21st birthday, as a way to earn a living. At the ripe old age of twenty-three when she met up with us, she had been on the road ever since driving around an assortment of famous celebrities, politicians… and ultimately our humble crew.
8. While touring, did you ever meet up with celebrities who were also “on the road”?
By all means, when we met up with a celebrity while on the road, it amazed me how many famous folks came to see our show and asked to “spin the wheel” after the performance… These celebs included Reba McIntire, Brooks and Dunn, KISS, The Beach Boys, and George Clinton (Dr. Funkenstein). At the end of the road tour we were installed as a residency at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas – and hosted such luminaries as Barbra Streisand, Wayne Newton, Carrot-Top, Tom Jones, Louie Anderson, Penn and Teller, and many, many more.
9. In what type of venues did you perform?
As we were basically a summer tour, we shared the road with hundreds of performers and acts ranging from rockers KISS, to crooner Tony Bennet. We played legitimate theatres, arenas, huge band shells, baseball stadiums, state fair racetracks (usually the largest venue in town) and the most interesting were hockey rinks in many cities in the northwest and Canada. The ice never went away but was covered with a thin layer of a pressed paper/cardboard called homosote. This allowed the arena to be used for various live entertainments throughout the off season. My favorite note came from a promotor in Saskatoon who asked if we could speed things up bit, as a majority if the audience, dressed in their summer finest, had begun to shiver. This was the unfortunate result of sitting on aluminum chairs placed on the thin layer of homosote covering the thick layer of permanent ice. Bob and I stifling laughter as best we could, cut our ninety-minute show down to an entertaining fifty minutes – and no one was any the wiser – though they were quick to exit into the warm summer sun outside the arena.
10. Is there anything else you would like to share about your experiences while on the road?
Bob and I referred to the roadies as the “boys” – and as professional denizens of the touring community hitting assorted performing venues across the United States and Canada, the “boys” were constantly on the prowl to find “something soft”. To that end, terms such as “Arena Rat” and “Lot Lizard” were bandied about the bus with reckless abandon while we were traveling from one venue to another. Never allowed on the bus these professional women were always lurking at stage doors or truck stop parking lots – some even in their very own campers serving as a convenient rolling brothel… but I digress.
For more rollicking details about adventures and experiences “on the road”, you’ll just have to buy my book, Show Biz Tripping… – available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or direct from the publisher Bear Manor Media.