Grease is the Word

Saturday, Feb. 17, 2001 | 11:39 a.m.

Sha Na Na is here to stay.

Why should they leave? For more than 30 years the nostalgia-driven group has been having more fun than a barrel of monkeys, performing classic rock 'n' roll.

The public still loves the grease-ball caricatures who sing golden oldies such as "Chantilly Lace," "Teenager In Love" and "Rock And Roll is Here to Stay." A performance scheduled for tonight at the Silverton has been sold out for nearly two weeks.

Original members of Sha Na Na were undergraduates at New York's Columbia University and part of the Kingsmen, a glee club ensemble that used to perform a cappella versions of '50s rock songs. In 1969 the group was invited to perform at the Woodstock music festival and it has been rockin' ever since.

The group taped 97 episodes of the syndicated "Sha Na Na" music-variety show from 1977-81. In 1978 Sha Na Na appeared in the movie "Grease."

Jon "Bowzer" Bauman was one of the most popular members of the original group, striking his poses onstage for 14 years before striking out on his own in 1983. Today he tours with his own group, Bowzer's Rock 'n' Roll Party, and performs solo.

Screamin' Scott Simon, 52, who joined Sha Na Na in 1970 and is still with the group, says as long as people want them they will perform -- even if it's at a birthday party.

Las Vegas Sun: Do you actually do birthday parties?

Screamin' Scott Simon: We do all kinds of events, from casino showrooms to private parties. We've done a lot of 50th birthday parties. We did one for a guy in Denver who rented a refurbished movie theater and brought in the Pointer Sisters and us to perform, just for him. He was all by himself, the only guy in the audience.

The grandson of Levi Strauss, he rented the old Fillmore West (Ballroom, in San Francisco) for his 40th birthday, just him and his 500 closest friends. You would be amazed at the kind of events we've played. The head of Alamo Rent A Car, he rented a room at the Plaza Hotel (in New York) for him and 40 of his closest friends.

We've played all kinds of places, a lot of fairs and festivals.

Sun: Sha Na Na doesn't seem to have trouble attracting an audience.

SSS: A lot of groups turn out to see us, the classic-car clubs, the whole nostalgia scene.

Sha Na Na invented nostalgia. We were the original copy. More to the point, the songs that we do onstage, from the golden decade of 1955 to '65, that's music that is part of the culture. The movie "Grease," that we were in is part of the culture. We're never going to do the most current thing, but it's always going to be a fun evening of entertainment for our fans. That's what we're offering. We've always been primarily live entertainment, playing with the audience, having fun with the audience, acknowledging the audience.

Sun: Your show doesn't have smoke or explosions?

SSS: Some of what the current trend is, in lots of pop-music arenas, is to present a spectacle and that, to some extent, ignores the audience. You can't relate to the audience in an extravaganza. We're more on the level of, "You're here, let's have some fun." Audiences want to see real people, not bigger-than-life acts, and to have fun with them. We bring people right up onstage to party with us. We reach out to the audience. We don't come down from the top of some mountain.

Sun: Is the group as popular today as it was a few years ago?

SSS: (Popularity) comes in waves and cycles. When they re-released "Grease" theatrically (in 1998) there was a bit of a boomlet. It comes and goes. The act coming in a month after us (at the Silverton, on March 17) is the Turtles. Once the casinos recognize there's an audience for this music, and there always has been and always will be, they will change their attitudes.

Sun: You aren't afraid of nostalgia acts becoming a thing of the past?

SSS: It has kept us in business since 1969 and Woodstock. Year-in and year-out, 100 to 200 dates a year. But, after 30 years, we've taken control of our own destiny. We've gotten rid of all those layers (of management). We've started our own agency -- called the Get A Job Talent Group. We've been entertaining since our 20s, and we're not really a part of the pop scene where you release an album and tour to promote it. What we're selling is our shows.

Sun: What's your work schedule like?

SSS: We're available 24/7. The funny thing about this business, there are only two things you have going for you. One is not being available to work, which means you have work. The other is the availability to work. You have to be available or you can't get work. We're happy guys. This is our bread and butter. Saturday night is our bread and butter. If people are out on Saturday night having fun, Sha Na Na should be out there with them.

Right now we're booked through Dec. 30 of this year.

Sun: What does the group have going besides touring?

SSS: We keep evolving. We had our own (syndicated) TV show. We turn out CDs -- we always have some product to sell. You don't ever feel like you're done. Right now we're talking about being on a float in the Rose Bowl parade next January.

No matter who you are, you don't rest on your laurels. We put energy into every show, which is always something a little bit different. People know they're going to have fun. It stays fresh for us, and fresh for the audience.

Sun: After 30 years, any thoughts of retirement?

SSS: I could retire, but two things keep me going. One is the enjoyment I get out of the job -- it's fun. The other thing, for me personally, I have two college tuitions (for my children) to support.

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