Michael Cerveris on Fame 2020
Let's get Real(istic)
I was trying to figure out why I wasn't finding so many photos of shows from the 1986-7 stretch and then remembered that was when I was pretending to be British on tv.
so, for the next stretch, I'll be sharing from a small trove of Fame photos and stories from those halcyon days.
Yale undergrad offered only scene study and stage performance experience, so I arrived in New York like a sponge, eager to learn. At the time of my Fame audition, what little I knew about acting for the camera had been gleaned from eating hamburgers in the teen discos and backgrounds as an extra on every soap opera in town, and from a couple scenes (with actual lines!) opposite Richard Crenna in a mini series called Double Take. For the Fame call, they asked for a British dialect and a song. I brought in my undoubtedly sketchy accent left over from a childhood Artful Dodger and accompanied myself on that old Ovation guitar singing Bowie's Young Americans. I remember thinking I should stay in character from the time I arrived, so everyone from the receptionist on up were probably scratching their heads about this strange talking ivy educated hillbilly kid. But either by pity or sheer daring, casting directors Meg Lieberman and Tony Sepulveda, producers Renee and Harry Longstreet, and writers Ira Behr and Michael McGreevey took a chance on this kid and opened the door to an entire new world for me.
Still full of collegiate earnestness and downtown aesthetics, I was anxious and uncertain about leaving NY for (gasp) a tv show. Would I somehow lose all sense of taste and priorities and end up selling my soul on screen (or selling my body on Sunset Boulevard)? But when my former screen writer uncle Don listened to my existential dilemma and replied, "well, nephew, there's no virtue in being incorruptible if you've never been tempted," I knew he had a point. I managed to get over myself enough to not look this gift horse in the mouth and packed my bags.
I'm not saying I didn't make mistakes or that my learning curve wasn't steep, but as usual, walking toward my fears and making peace with living in uncertainty and discomfort turned out to have plenty of lessons and rewards.
Is there anything more Fame than the big, school-wide number in the dining hall? (well, maybe dancing on a taxi cab, but...).
A lot of the great fun of working on Fame was the variety in each day. One day spending hours on camera, the next in a rehearsal room in day-long rehearsals for a big dance number (especially challenging for the 'movers' among us), and the next day recording backing tracks in some of LA's best studios. Our stages at the former MGM Studios in Culver City were always a hive of diversity, creative activity and youthful energy. Sometimes barely controlled, but always full of life.
in season 6 episode 3: New Faces, Ian mounts the lunch room stage for the first time. In the process, I got to try my best Elvis/Buddy Holly, duetting with Carlo Imperato and accompanied by Tanya Fenmore as an 11 year old piano prodigy, Hannah.
Typical Fame days at the office:
you might be playing guitar for Lee Ving of the seminal west coast hardcore punk band FEAR
or you might be swashbuckling. But nothing quite compares to our(Jesse and Michael's) cowboy number, though. Your Wife’s Been Cheatin’ On Us Again is a forgotten classic...
Right here is where you start paying: an appreciation of Debbie Allen
For a lot of people, Debbie Allen was the face of Fame..and with good reason. Her demanding-but-loving-diva of a dance instructor was at the core of the film and the series it spawned. And there was very little daylight between Ms Grant and Ms Allen. She was every bit as rigorous and supportive a performer and director as you would imagine watching her on the show. One of my first days on set was 'dancing' in a number with her on the streets of lower Manhatttan, and it was as daunting and exhilarating as you'd expect. The perfectionism she dedicated to her own work inspired the same in all of us around her, and getting a 'good job' nod from her, or a laugh, was a prize anytime it came. And the laughs, especially, came often.
Looking back, I'm certain there was a lot I missed about the struggles and obstacles she faced as a black woman in 80s television. My obliviousness to my own privilege back then is largely to blame, but it may also have been because Debbie seemed so unlikely to tolerate any obstacle. Still, I'm sure her success as an actor, dancer, choreographer and director came with a lot of sacrifice. Rehearsals with her and choreographer Jaime Rogers were full on and you had to be always on your game. And her episodes as director were some of the most efficient and skillfully planned days we had--especially impressive because her prep weeks were spent working as an actor and dancer with the rest of us, too. Knowing that she would have less control in the editing room, Debbie managed to shoot only the coverage she knew she needed so that it could only be assembled the way she wanted it to be. A risky move, but savvy, and indicative of the confidence she displayed always--maybe even when she didn't necessarily quite have it herself.
I feel lucky and grateful to have known and worked with Debbie--such a striking example of a strong, accomplished black woman in a position of power--early in my television career. And with so many BIPOC and strong female colleagues on that show. They helped inform and shape my ideas about who has a right to command respect and dignity in the workplace. That is to say, everyone. And I owe them a real debt that I'm dedicated to trying continually to better repay.
The return of the eyeliner
most days on Fame, we were happily part of a big, multi-talented ensemble, with a few scenes or a B story that featured our character among many others. But every once in a while your character got to step into the spotlight as the A story, supported by everyone else. That episode for me was Ian's Girl, and it's unsurprisingly one of my favorites.
It started first scene up on the first day of shooting, being introduced to Ian's Girl herself, the lovely Traci Lind, before 7 am in the make up trailer. By 8:15am we were snogging repeatedly for the cameras. It was a strange way to meet someone, but since my characters usually end up killing the girl more often than getting (and losing) the girl, it was a nice change of pace.
I got to sing a very emo ballad to Traci while my bandmates slept (pretty soundly, all things considered), became the first person to wear Bauhaus and Sisters Of Mercy t shirts on national tv (I got to pick a lot of my on camera wardrobe) and became quite possibly the first person to sing a Sex Pistols song on American tv, other than, I'm guessing, the Sex Pistols. I also made a roommate for a while and a friend for life in the Leeds tub thumper who played the drummer in Ian's band, Steve Cooper (happy belated birthday, Steve!).
But my proudest achievement though, was convincing our open minded producers that, rather than calling Central Casting to fill the punk club scene with extras as usual, they should instead let me go to Scream, the downtown LA club I frequented on a regular basis and fill the scene with authentic 1980s LA punks and goth kids. And so I did. Lots of kids in that scene watched the show because, airing early Saturday evenings and rebroadcast late Sunday afternoons, it was the perfect background tv for getting ready to go out or slowly beginning to get up after a night out. So enough people either knew me as a fellow club regular or recognized me from the show to believe the invitation to be on the show was legit. A lot of them had no phone number for a contact (this was pre cell phones, kids), and the days started way too early for the average musician or club kid, so I wasn't entirely sure on the morning of the shoot that I was going to pull it off. But the promise of some money and a day full of craft services combined with a chance to play themselves on tv was enticing enough that we had an great crowd and an unusually authentic feeling scene, at only minimal risk to the camera equipment and crew, and one of the most fun days I can remember on set. My co-conspirator and best friend Carrie Hamilton was in heaven, too, and ended up meeting her boyfriend of the next long while in Steve. It was a good day all around. Knowledgeable watchers can spot members of The Zeroes, Kommunity FK, my friend Kaptain (who was one of Guns and Roses' early pre fame drummers and did costumes for Troma and porn films), among the glam and punk scenesters pogoing and slam dancing in the crowd. I mostly beamed with pride.
did I mention I was a huge Paul Westerberg, Tommy Stinson, Replacements fan?
did I need to?
Episode 14 "Pros and Cons"
no one was more excited than I was to learn that Ian's dad was going to be played by Mike Preston from Mad Max 2: Road Warrior. The fact that his accent was Australian and mine was (faux) East London was either unnoticed or irrelevant. What mattered was that he was a great guy and I got to sing an old English music hall tune wiv the ol pot and pan.
also, another great jacket
and mid season=even more hair.
A celebration of the women of Fame
For an 80s tv show, there were a significant number of women in positions of power on the show, among the producers, writers, crew and cast. Not enough, and not (I'm sure) with complete parity, but enough to be remarkable in those days. And speaking of remarkable, this group of women I happily take a fitting back seat to in these photos today (albeit dressed in my best Prince attire). These women, among their many other accomplishments, became role models and inspirations for thousands of girls around the world, who were able to see themselves in these characters with their hopes, strengths and vulnerabilities. And in the paths they've taken since, they've continued to inspire people across continents, genders, races and sexualities through performing, teaching, raising children and advocating for the importance of the arts.
By the time I came on the show (in its final season), many of these powerhouse ladies had already moved on to other successes. But for the final episode, the OGs all came back and showed graciousness and generosity to all us latecomers who had been keeping the dreams alive that they had begun.
Valerie Landsburg was already producing, directing, making music and raising a family. She adopted me (it might have been our shared propensity to dress in black) and became one of my best friends in LA. You could not have a more fierce advocate than Val, then or now.
Erica Gimpel was another centerpiece of the series from the start. She was as kind as she was talented, elegant and exciting to be around.
Cynthia Gibb was the sweetest person, a woman whose crush worthiness at first might predispose you to overlook her talent and drive. But that'd be a mistake. One of those people who lit up every room she walked into.
Debbie Allen Debbie Allen Debbie Allen
quintuple threat Dancer/Singer/Actor/Choreographer/Director and then some. There's a reason you think of her when you think of Fame.
and then the ladies who I was lucky to share the whole season with, and who I admired so much then and appreciate even more now:
Nia Virenia Peeples who I always felt shy around. Partly because of her natural talent combined with her natural loveliness, but also because of some earth deep wisdom she seemed to possess that appeared to see through your weak defenses to what you really felt and who you might be.
I was so lucky to have Elisa as my fellow freshman, both of us learning the ropes together from day one. Her midwest girl next door sweetness was genuine as can be, but her seriousness and hard work ethic were just as profound. I always thought her character was a great way for a lot of young viewers to find a way from their small towns into this urban free for all that could open their eyes and expand their minds to the value of other kinds of people and ways of being that they would never see in their hometowns.
whose infectious laugh and twinkling spirit combined with a soulful voice and a deep well of empathy inside her ever upbeat approach to life. I always thought there were a lot of young viewers seeing themselves in her character's struggles between a traditional upbringing and an eye opening new world.
arrived part way through the season to add some more edgy pizzazz to the proceedings. We became friends over our shared punk rock leanings, and she gave me the high honor of bringing me with her when she was being interviewed on KROQ one night, and introducing me to the one and only Rodney on the Rock Bingenheimer.
Also pictured (with a feminine charm of their own):
Robert Romanus
my first Fast Times At Ridgemont High brush with greatness, who brought a manic sensibility and sly wit to the set on screen and off
and Jesse Borrego
who I admired so thoroughly (and still do) as an actor, performer, and person. He always had a seemingly unflappable ease and cool swagger that I aspired to and knew I'd never have. But deeper than that, an ability to immerse himself in his work and to give himself over to music, especially, that I connected with and really admired. I loved our scenes together and was like a sponge watching and learning from him everyday. He was my closest male friend on the show, and was happy he let me repay a bit of that debt by giving him a roof when he was between homes for a while. Ian and Jesse never got to be roommates (though that would have been another great spin offf), but I'm so Michael and Jesse got to be. And I'm even happier we've reconnected lately through these posts. And that I got to see his great new film Phoenix, Oregon streaming last week.
Facebook, for all its evils, occasionally has its uses
and then, of course, there was Carrie
She adopted Elisa and me on our very first day, a dance rehearsal in NYC where we started the season with a couple weeks of location shooting. I couldn't have been more daunted--especially since I'd had no dance component to my audition and was told Ian wouldn't really ever dance (which I pretty much proved in every dance number that season). By the time we left NY for LA, we were inseparable and it was through Carrie that I learned LA and made most of the real friends I have out there to this day. She remains one of the most multi talented, brilliant, creative and boundless people I've ever known. We played music together, had a development deal for a spin-off series, spent hours laughing, working and seeing music together. Our characters' symbiotic friendship, mutual admiration and support and unspoken affection for each other was the easiest piece of non acting there could be. I regret that we weren't more in touch after I left LA, and I miss her to this day. Her sisters and mom have meant a lot to me ever since.
Last dance
The final episode was a bittersweet one for everyone, and maybe even more so now. It was a big love fest with alumni from the roots of the show mingling with those of us who were carrying it to the finish line. Getting to know Valerie, Cynthia, Erica, Lee, and Carol was a joy. But saying good bye was hard. And not knowing that we'd too soon be saying good bye forever to some is even harder in hindsight. The loss of Carrie is one that everyone who knew her feels deeply to this day. And not long after, we lost a brother who was the essence of the story the series told.
Gene Anthony Ray's character Leroy embodied the dreams of every kid who the world had given up on or didn't take care of in the first place. He was troubled and he was trouble and he was jaw-droppingly gifted. So it was perfect that Gene Anthony himself had been kicked out of the real life NY High School for the Performing Arts that we were all pretending to still be young enough to attend on the series. He was an innately gifted dancer, singer and actor with boundless energy and trouble figuring out where to put it all. And he was a beautiful, big hearted heartbreak waiting to happen. He could be kind, surly, funny, fierce and FIERCE. I was in awe of him and loved him and was frustrated by him and for him, sometimes all at the same time.
Maybe there are some people whose special light has to consume itself. All we can do is treasure the glow and try to keep the flame lit. Maybe there's more we could each have done for the Leroys in our lives. Maybe there just wasn't. But we shouldn't keep trying any less hard.
Fame finale
this was the last shot of the series, everyone including old and new cast, crew, producers and writers gathered and singing the show's anthem, fading out on the the wish simply to be remembered
the two dubious school maintenance men in the second photo are the wild and wooly writers who were largely responsible for creating Ian Ware and so many of my favorite Fame moments, Ira Behr and Michael McGreevey. They went on to create galaxies on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but the worlds they made in the halls and lives of Fame kids world wide were filed with just as much creativity and exploration of alien worlds.
In these days where the role of the arts in our lives has never been less certain and our hunger for them never more clear, Fame still stands apart in pop culture, arguing for the vital, central role music, dance, and theater have always played in our lives. And why they're essential to education--whether someone plans a career in the arts or not. Art is what makes us human. And we need more of that than ever now.
Judging from the response to these photos, people have taken that final call to remember to heart. It's been a beautiful thing to learn over the past couple weeks.