A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, I was asked to play music in an airplane hangar.
It wouldn’t be the first time, but this party was different. Hosted by Staci’s Jet Center at Meacham Field in Fort Worth, this one turned out to be a political fund-raiser.
The hangar was immense, and even with an area the size of a football field blocked off for the festivities, there was still plenty of space for several good-sized aircraft, including Ben Fortson’s LearJet.
The party had a Pacific Island theme, with Tiki bars serving tropical libations, and an impressive buffet. The “social lubricant” flowed freely in hopes that well-heeled guests would open their hearts and minds (a.k.a. “wallets”) to some area candidates for public office. It flowed so freely, that it was not long before the drinking was “fierce and hand-to-hand.” We had us a party!
An airplane hangar filled with the Movers and Shakers of North Texas politics, all of them three (or more) sheets to the wind, was a heaven-sent gift for a Party DJ. They were putty in my hands, and I could get them to do anything. Conga lines, limbo contests, and all manner of line dances and silliness ensued.
I even got several men to put on grass skirts and coconut shell bikini tops, and hula dance!
Alright, plenty of mobile entertainers have done this, I know. But, I got the Speaker of the House to do it!
People who hear this story always ask me, “State or U.S.?”
To which I answer, “Yes! And with each other.”
The Honorable Speaker Jim Wright
That’s right, I got the honorable Jim Wright, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, to dance with Gibson D. “Gib” Lewis, Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. Both in Hula skirts.
It’s hard to describe this on your resumé, but you gotta admit, no one else has done that!