Tuesday, August 13, 2002

It was only a single-camera shoot for a music video for a 1960s Del Shannon hit song being remade by an obscure singer from Albany, New York.

But for the couple of hundred people who lined the Coopersville streets for hours Saturday night, it didn't matter; they were just there to see the video get made.

For several local residents, it was also a once-in-a lifetime chance to be in a video that may be seen on VH1 later this year.

Singer and video producer Joe Glickman, of Albany, brought the film crew to Coopersville and Rosie's Diner in Rockford over the weekend to shoot the video for "So Long Baby," a Del Shannon song Glickman recently recorded for a Del Shannon tribute album due out later this fall.

The 23-year-old Glickman said that he could have shot the self-funded video in New York and saved the travel expense for himself and his crew, but the chance to film the 1960-era video in Del Shannon's hometown was too much to pass up.

"It simply means so much to be here where Del Shannon grew up. I think I needed to be here to get the right feel for the song," Glickman said.

Glickman timed the filming of the music video to coincide with Coopersville's Summerfest so he could use some of the vehicles from the show in the video.

While Glickman brought most of his own actors and crew from New York, he did use some local talent. Jamie Rottman was one of those Coopersville area people who had the chance to act in the video. Rottman, 22, already has a "film career" as an x-ray technician, but wanted to find out what it was like to be in a music video. She saw the article about the video shoot in a local paper and called to see if she fit what the crew was looking for. Over the weekend, she ended up as an extra, roaming the streets in a poodle skirt and tons of hairspray in her hair.

She was glad to be part of the video, even if it was just a small part. "I always wanted to see how a music video was made and this was fun," she said.

Blair Husezee, of Coopersville, said his mother was the one who pushed him to do the video. The Unity Christian senior was one of the few guys who dressed up as a greaser for the video. With the temperatures in the mid-80s, Husezee was very hot dressed in blue jeans and a leather jacket. Standing around between takes, he said he was a little uncomfortable but once the camera started rolling Husezee said he forgot about the heat and just tried to do the best he could.

Del Shannon grew up as Charles Westover in Coopersville in the 1950s before he entered the music business, changed his name to Del Shannon and spent the rest of his life living mainly in California.

Glickman came to Coopersville last year to do a one-man show that featured some Del Shannon songs. It was the reception he received last year and his work on the Del Shannon tribute album that gave him a great appreciation for the work of Del Shannon and the people of Coopersville, he said in an earlier interview.

"There is a certain energy here that we couldn't find elsewhere. The people in Coopersville have treated us well and we appreciate that so much."

© 2002 Advance Newspapers. Used with permission