If I Played A Tough Kid On

I Had Been Asked To Open A Nightclub In Atlantic City. They Offered Me A Ridiculous Amount Of Money. They Literally Overpaid Me. So I Did One Show A Night. Then They Asked Me Back By Popular Demand. So I Went Back. Then I Said, "to Hell With This." I Was Only Doing It For The Money, And I Was Doing Easy Routines. It's Just Too Much Work To Get Up Every Day And Practice.

In The 1930s There Was This Tendency In Hollywood To Portray Everyone As Rich. Even If They Were Doing A Poor Man's Dance, They Were All So Nicely Clothed, Gowned, Coiffured. That's Why I Decided To Wear White Socks, Loafers, T-shirts, And Blue Jeans. I Had A Sociopolitical Context In Front Of Me: I Was A Child Of The Depression Who Danced In A Way That Would Represent The Common Man.

If Fred Astaire Is The Cary Grant Of Dance, I'm The Marlon Brando.

I Still Find It Almost Impossible To Relax For More Than One Day At A Time.

I Miss The Romance. I Keep Saying This Over And Over Again, But Dance Follows Music. And If The Accent Today Is Percussion And Rhythm And Loudness, Then That Is The Way The Dance Numbers Will Be. But It Is Pretty Hard On Romance With Seven Guitars, Three Drums, And No Melody Instruments In The Band.