I think it took a week and a half to pull off the Gong Show. The first thing was to find a gong, and sure as hell, one of the wealthier parents just happened to have one lying around. It was a blessing to not having any full of shit 3rd, 4th, or 5th phasers in the group raining their durision down on all our heads. They were all too busy building a stage and making costumes and what not. I stopped being a jerk long enough to gain talk that Friday and T&R the following Monday. It was amazing how far we all came along in our programs when we could speak freely about our past without some asshole trying to grandstand on us. When I say "we" I mean all the first and second phasers in group at the time. I cannot recall the precise day of the show, but I am pretty sure it fell on a Wednesday so it would'nt mess up any Parent Weekend. The stage was pretty impressive and Stage Right had the Judges Table complete with a gong. I can't remember who all the judges were but I think it was Dave Crock, Liz Cassidy,Terri WhatsherFace, and Mrs. Pete had veto power. I think Scotty Cassidy, the parent rap leader was the emcee. The parents sat closest to the stage in the part of the building used primarily for parent raps. The only part of this building that was used by us was an old machinery room with 2 doors that was used for when the jerks done pissed off Mrs. Pete or staff one time too many. I shimmied up the pole in there and scratched the words "Jerk Power" with a little fist and my name on the top of the pole near the ceiling, where someone would risk busting their ass even with a ladder trying to remove it. Hell, it might even still be there to this day. Anyway back to the story
then. The group was seated behind the parents and they had "Standing Corporal" 3rd Phasers to stand around the group that nite. The show got under way, and was a real treat, I must say, and still one of my fonder memories of the program. A few people tryed playing guitar and singing songs and I remember Steve Gay got half way through the old 'Chicago' song called Colour
My World, before Mrs. Pete scrambled over the table and gonged the shit out of his act, claiming the song was an "old tie." What a Gypp, then the curtains opened and the first music I had ever heard on my program starts playing real loud. It was disco, for christ sake!! All these girls file out dressed really nice and start doing this dance routine. As if on cue, this standing 3rd phaser leans in and goes "Now don't be checking out the girls." "Shut up you fucking faggot," we all said in unison. He just stood there with his mouth opening and closing like a fish in the bottom of a boat. It was too funny!! The highlight of the show was a skit based on M*A*S*H that they did vaudeville style. They put up a sheet and shined a light behind it like shadow theatre. They had a guy lying on the table and they pulled all sorts of props out of his 'chest wound.' It was hilarious!!
But the funniest act was done by a guy who had only been on front row less than a week. During Chris Cassler's synthesizer light show, he slipped away and made it to the back of the group. He was found a few minutes later in the think room. I guess he must have thought the doors led to the outside or something. Another 5 minutes or so, and he could have slipped out with the parents as they left at the end of the show.
