Sunday, August 04, 2002

Eighteen-year-old Teresa Boersma of Coopersville will tell you she's liable to "do crazy things for no good reason at all."

So, when word got around a young New York filmmaker was seeking "extras" for a music video being shot in her hometown, Boersma wasted no time applying for the part.

"I said, 'That's what I want to do,' " the recent Coopersville High School graduate gushed. "I'm just so excited. I love to perform, and I love to put lots of makeup on and get dressed up. It's really exciting."

Be still the beating hearts of small-town stars: Downtown Coopersville, where the late Del Shannon grew up, gets turned into a movie set next weekend for filming of a music video to accompany the rock 'n' roll singer's 1961 tune, "So Long Baby."

Director and musician Joe Glickman, 24, of Albany, N.Y., who recently recorded his version of the song for a Shannon tribute album, will direct and star in the video. He's financing the venture in hopes of getting it aired nationally on VH1 or MTV.

Filming will be during Coopersville's Summerfest, which includes the "Del Shannon Memorial Car Show."

"To me, it's more than a gamble. It's an investment. I think it's a great opportunity," Glickman said from his home in Albany, N.Y., where initial scenes were being filmed this weekend.

The singer is a budding moviemaker and self-described "oldies freak," who already has filmed a documentary about the '60s group the Classics IV. He has "worked nonstop" since February planning the "So Long Baby" video after spending months re-recording the original tune.

Even longtime Shannon keyboardist Max Crook plays on the new recording and will participate in the video.

"My idea is too recreate 1961, the year the song came out," Glickman said, noting the video will feature authentic '60s costumes and classic cars.

"I really want to get this on MTV, so I've gotten together a really kick-butt crew -- people who are really experienced who have worked on really big Hollywood productions," Glickman said.

The bulk of filming for the song about a guy fed up with a girl who's been untrue is slated to take place on Coopersville's Main Street on Saturday night, then move to Rosie's Diner north of Rockford for more footage Sunday, depending on the weather.

Glickman also will film some Coopersville-area railroad scenes.

"It's adding a new twist and a lot of flavor (to Summerfest)," said Jan Richardson, executive director of the Coopersville Area Chamber of Commerce, who's co-chairing the celebration.

After performing a Shannon tune at last year's Summerfest, Glickman settled on Coopersville for the video shoot primarily because it's Shannon's hometown and locals have been so supportive.

"I could have filmed it in any small town, but then I would have known that," he said. "I wanted to know in my heart that I did it in Del's hometown.

"I just liked the town (and) the people were really kind ... Everybody's been so hospitable, it's overwhelming."

Boersma will be among about 30 extras roaming Main Street in the background of scenes to be filmed between 6 p.m. and midnight while "So Long Baby" blares over speakers so Glickman can lip-sync to the song.

All of the extras will wear authentic 1950s and '60s outfits prepared especially for the video, and the streets will be lined with classic automobiles of the era, Glickman said.

"It's going to look really good. I even went to the trouble of having old '61 Michigan plates made up so it looks right on cars," he noted.

On Sunday, 15 to 20 extras will be used when Glickman moves the production to Rosie's Diner north of Rockford to film interior and exterior scenes. The 1946 diner (featured in TV ads for Bounty paper towels) was moved to Kent County from New Jersey in 1990.

Although extras aren't being paid for their appearances, due to the video's limited budget, Boersma said that doesn't matter.

"It's going to be tons of fun," said Boersma, who plans to pursue a career in nursing, not acting.

Another extra, 19-year-old Jenny Pigors of Ravenna, said she thought it would be a nice, midsummer change of pace.

"I've never really been in any acting," she said. "I think that would be cool to be part of a music video."

More folks could get the chance: As of late last week, Glickman still was seeking extras to fill out the cast.

Interested persons may call (518) 378-0433 or visit the Web site www.solongbaby.com for details.

The months of planning and six days of shooting in New York and Michigan will result in a 21/2- to 3-minute video.

While hesitant to provide the exact project cost, Glickman is spending more than $25,000 of his own money on the production, with most of that going to the cost of equipment, material and travel.

"It's being financed by the debt of my wallet," he said. "I could have put a down payment on a house ... (But) it's all going to be worth it, no matter what, because it's an experience."

To raise funds, Glickman will sell promotional copies of a CD that includes his cover of the song as well as a remix of Shannon's original version of the tune. He also intends to release the song as a single in coming months and might make the video part of an enhanced CD if it doesn't find a home on VH1 or MTV.

The song also will appear on a Del Shannon tribute album being compiled by Del Shannon Enterprises Inc. Producers of the CD are aiming for a 2003 release date, according to Brian Young, president of the Del Shannon Appreciation Society.

The CD will contain Shannon songs performed by Jeff Lynne (of Electric Light Orchestra), Randy Bachman (of The Guess Who), Frank Black (of The Pixies) and others.

Glickman conceded he's battling against conventional thinking by trying to resurrect an old song that only made it to No. 28 on the Billboard charts the first time it was released in 1961.

"I think the song is timeless, and I think a lot of the music from that era has a timeless quality to it," he said. "If you introduce the song to kids today, I think they could latch on to it.

"I'm a visual person," Glickman said. "I tried to do the best recording I could, but I have a lot more confidence in my visual and motion-picture directing.

"And I think if you can just entertain people, they'll like it."

© 2002 Grand Rapids Press. Used with permission