There are times when a life-lesson is made abundantly clear. This week I had interaction with a contemporary musical artist and a rock group from the 1980s.
They share a unique attitude towards fame. They appreciate it, even honor it, but refuse to let it define them.
Rob Lichter is a 56 year old multi-media expert. He put together the documentary “Hello! my Name is Blotto: the Film.” It was given its world premiere last night at Cohoes Music Hall. But don’t worry if you missed it. The odds are strong there will be more showings locally.
Blotto was a local band that gathered some national attention in the early 80s. It was one of the first bands to have a presence of MTV with the song “I Want To Be a Lifeguard.”
That visibility gave them a springboard which enabled them to tour. It also made them heroes locally. Their kind of goofy, fun style made them very popular on college campuses.
The other person is Sawyer Fredericks, who won the music reality show THE VOICE in 2015. He was only 16 years old. After winning the contest he says he was so hounded by fans he could not go out in public. Even when he accompanied his mother grocery shopping he had to be in disguise with a tight wrapped hoodie.
Fredericks took a low key approach to fame and did not feed into it. He stayed in the area and in 2020 moved into a studio apartment in Troy. He continued to write music and release a couple of albums. Many of his public appearances were for fundraisers for small to medium not-for-profits.
On Earth Day, April 22 a new album titled NO NEED TO WONDER will be released. He calls it folk-rock. The first half is pure folk, stressing family while saluting the values found in small communities. The second half addresses broader themes, especially the environment.
Blotto had a taste of fame. They admit to savoring it, but not being seduced by it. Lichter says one reason he created the film was his admiration for the band members. He met them not as musicians, rather as individuals. “They were the same people off stage as they were on it,” he says.
While he admired their skill as musicians and the infectiously funny songs they created, he feels their most endearing quality was their sincerity and authenticity. “They never had to fake having fun,” he says.
That sense of being grounded came from the understanding each band member had about him or her self.
In fact, a major reason Blotto broke up is that touring started to interfere with their true career paths. Harvey Lee Oswald was about to graduate from law school. His true identity is Paul Rapp, who is now a respected patent attorney who appears regularly on WAMC.
Paul Jossman known as Bow Tie Blotto was a student at RPI majoring in math and computers. He is now a computer engineer and a video game designer who finds time to play in local bands.
Greg Haymes, (aka Sarge Blotto) who is now deceased, became a revered journalist specializing in local music. He, too, was a frequent guest on WAMC.
Helena Binder, who as Blanche Blotto was a member of the acting company at New York State Theatre Institute. She now is a professional opera and theater director.
The band members have stayed close as friends. Indeed, they still refer to each other by their Blotto names. In a show of respect they anointed Lichter with the name Bert Blotto.
The musicians in Blotto and Fredericks recognize life is not judged by what others think about you. They understand what is important is what you think of yourself.
To me self-expression is the backbone of all art.
There have been many area talents who made a splash in show business, but there are few who are honored by the community in which they live and work almost 50 years after the fame died.
In today’s Justin Bieber world of pop music it’s comforting to know that we have among us musicians and artists who are passionate about their creativity and stand as examples of responsible human behavior.
Rock on Blotto and Sawyer Fredericks.
Bob Goepfert is theater reviewer for the Troy Record.
The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.
