Reinventing Myself: A Journey Through Modeling
1976-02-17
I first met Mickey Worley at Pickwick Records, where he was briefly hired as a sales rep. We hit it off immediately, forming a fast friendship. Mickey even introduced me to his girlfriend’s daughter, whom I dated for a while.
A seasoned musician, Mickey had spent years crisscrossing the country, playing in bars and clubs from New York to Los Angeles. He had a trove of wild road stories, and I was always eager to hear them.
With the help of Gary Paxton and Mike Curb, he re-recorded the hit song Alley Oop, adding his own love song to the B-side. Hoping to get radio airplay, he put my name on the record, envisioning me as his promotional frontman—the salesman who could walk into radio stations and persuade DJs to play his track.
We drove across California and I did just that, always listening to the channel as we drove off. Many times we were happy to hear them give it a spin.
Mickey designed a promotional piece to support the launch that featured both of our photos. When I went to my photo shoot with Barbizon Modeling, I brought him along so he could get his done as well.
Our friendship wasn’t just about music and promotions—it was about shared experiences. Mickey even let me join his band on stage in Santa Cruz, where I sang Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon. The moment must have been magic because, as soon as I stepped off stage, my date leaned in and whispered that we should head back to my place.
As life took us in different directions, Mickey and I eventually lost touch after I moved to Los Angeles. But those memories—the music, the late-night stories, the unexpected moments—have stayed with me ever since.
The band