From The Bronx . . . We Give You ... Dion! (Take Him!)

From The Bronx . . . We Give You ... Dion! (Take Him!)

Jackie Kallen

"One day I feel so happy,

Next day I feel so sad.

I guess Ill learn to take the good with the bad. "

(From "Teenager in Love")

It was 1959 and Dion DiMucci, a 17year-old from the Bronx had his first hit with his group. The Belmonts. Before his 18th birthday, Dion was a teen idol and he had carved a place for himself in rock “n roll history.

"I came from a neighborhood where there was a lot of drugs. I was using drugs aLl4 years old. But somewhere along the line, my desire to achieve, make music and entertain people got stronger thap hanging out on street corners and using synthetic mood changers.

"I got involved with my career when I was 17, but I hadnt resolved the drug problem. It was a factor, really, until 1967. Until I found a true direction in life, I continued to dabble in drugs. I took a little of everything. I was using heroin when I was a kid."

Shooting up?

"I dont want to get into specifics, OK? I mean, what size needle I used or whether it was pointy or dull isnt important.To me, it doesnt matter if you were drinking, snorting or what. If you have a personality like mine, its a matter of name your poison, and its how you want to go.

"It's not important what youre using. You're running. It doesnt matter what kind of shoes youre wearing if youre running. At what speed or how isnt relevant anymore.

"In 1967, not only did I stop putting things in my body physically, I started growing spiritually and mentally as well. So I took the other two steps and today I have some degree of serenity and peace of mind."

After several quiet years of strumming his guitar (Remember "Abraham, Martin and John"?) in small clubs across the country, Dion has come back with a Warner Brothers album, "Streetheart" and a single from the LP, "Hey My Love." In the midst of a 10-city, 12-day promotional tour, he arrived in the Detroit area.

Sitting in his Southfield hotel suite, he was sipping a cup of coffee and dressed in a denim shirt and pants, looking thinner and more gaunt than the Dion of the '60s. The toughness is still there, but its mellowed with age.

"Hey, I ran out of excuses back in 67. I got it together. You have to find another way of life and stop blaming other people for where youre at and stop putting people down just to feel good.

True rock freaks will remember that Dion and the Belmonts were a part of the tour that took the lives of Buddy Holly. Richie Valens and the Big Bopper. Dion opted to pass on the chartered plane and stay on th^ tour bus. The plane crashed.

"I didn't go on the plane for strictly financial reasons. I had a group and we were splitting the bread four ways. The other guys were solo acts and maybe had a little extra bread for the plane. As I remember, it was just a question of $85. But that was heavy for me at the time and the next city wasnt that far. Looking back, the whole thing was just baffling to me. I was a kid then and death is always baffling, at any age. But with a lot of guts and encouragement we finished the tour. But it wasnt easy,

I ll tell you.

"Go figure things out. I was working the Latin Casino with Jackie Wilson when he had his stroke. I had to go out and finish that show and it was rough. I had already done my act and J ackie was about four songs into his set when he had the stroke. It's really hard to explain how that kind of thing affects you.

I wasnt right for weeks after that. I lave Jackie and I ]3ray for him."

"It certainly makes you stop and think about things. Life is really precious. It's long and yet its short and it s really fragile. You have to take a look at yourself and make sure that your values are in the right place. Going back to these early years, I thought a car was really important. Then you move on a little and suddenly your kids are the most important thing in the world. They're what you leave here. They are the world."

Handing me a copy of his new album. Dion couldn't resist commenting, "I lov,eit-1 love this album. Just listen to it. Youre gonna like it a lot." He brought out a cassette player and ptayed a few of the cuts. He wrote "Streetheart" about Chaka Khan. He played."Hey My Love" and "Queen of '59.'"

"I sent one of these songs to Henry Winkler. It would have been so perfect for him. A natural. It would have been a monster for him. But he doesnt want to cut records. The guy wants to be Robert DeNiro. That's OK. though. Its his business.

"But really— who knows whats better for the Fonz than me? I taught Fonzie everything he knows. Hell, lets face it— I was the original Ponz."