Broward Community College - Silver Sands Yearbook (Fort Lauderdale, FL)

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The Serendipity Singers direct their act tovvard anyone from 15 to 50 years old. . Let me direct this question to you, john Arbenz, How did the group first get started? Originally we went to the University of Color- ado. When we were in school there we formed the group and upon graduating went to East- ern New York to audition and follow some of the few contacts we had made through our college days. Things began to happen for us. That's briefly how it happened. Lona Shaw, the pretty young gal who sings with the group is with us. Lona, how did you get your start? I auditioned for the group a few years ago. I'm not an original member. I was auditioning for a lot of other things too, and I just got in the group. The professional work I've done before was with musical comedy. . john, what did you think of tonight's perform- ance. Do they all seem to go the same for you? Well, they're never the same. One reason is because the audience is different every night. And we're very pleased with tonight. It was a very responsive and warm hearted crowd and we really had fun. 18 john, I understand that last night you were performing for a group of elderly people. Do you seem to detect a different reaction from a group like this? Well, our act as you can tell by the show is directed toward anyone from 15 to 50, but once you pass that age, the really elderly people don't seem to understand. We had a very big and responsive crowd in Orlando, but generally we like to perform for the college people. About how many concerts do you do a year? Oh, it's hard to say, I'd say about 180. Here comes Mike Brousky, leader of the group. Mike how did you gain the title of leader? fm the biggest and the meanest. No, no, uh, that's an interesting question. john and Bob and myself started the group and uh, I don't know, I'm just the leader. Mike, I've noticed one thing, Bob seems to be the only one with short hair, any reason? Well, yes, Bob just recently got a haircut, he was doing some skindiving. The rest of us haven't gotten one for three years. The long hair on Bob would probably bother him, ya know getting in his mouth and mask and everything. He might drown. Why do you wear your hair long? Well, we think it looks better on stage, and it's not ridiculously long, ya know, it's not down to our shoulders. We think it's a clean cut, long look. We've always had this look. Mike, whats new record wise? Well, we have a new album coming out in about three weeks on United Artists. It's a completely new album, an all new direction. VVe're very excited about this. We like to sell records and this one we have coming is the first album we've put out in a year and a half. john, what do you think? Well, we're very proud of this album and it really shows. So in three weeks, everyone go out and go crazy. Buy Serendipity album number 6. Mike, have you ever been out to Broward junior College? Well, we were there about three years ago.

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SERENDIPITY Q Something New and Different by JEFF BREIN Fun, exciting, typically teenage are a few words aptly used to describe the moods and conversation of the Serendipity Singers, Broward lunior Col- leges first Lyceum stars. They entertained a cap- acity crowd at Fort Lauderdales XVar Memorial Auditorium. Immediately following the program a few of my staff members and I quickly exited hack- stageh and set up equipment, waiting for what was to hecome a lively exciting discussion with eight of Americas hriglitest entertainers. The in- tended interview for the college radio program became an in depth discussion on topics from marriage to the draft. Vile hecame so completely engrossed in the topics of conversation that we couldnt stop and finally had to he almost literally ejected hy the stage personnel who had worked overtime as it was. Here is a portion of the text of the interview and some comments and views expressed hy the Serendipity Singers. 17

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jQQ, 5 THE SERENDIPITY SINGERS XVhat did you think of the campus, john? I don't like the tarpits. john, what do you thing of the hippies? WVell, I really don't care. Fine, they don't bother me. I don't want to go bomb them. and I don't want to send them any food either. Another member of the group, Nick. has just come in. Nick, what happened to the original members of the group? VVell, one broke his leg . . . we had to shoot him and four others formed a bridge club and split. Are any of you College products Nick? Yes, as a matter of fact we all are. and I'm the only junior college product. Look what it did to me, and come to think of it . . . look what it did to you. Do you find a difference in junior college and college audiences john? Oh, well you're cutting hairs there so . . . cut it out! Like I said. we enjoy playing for people like about 25 years old rather than playing for people living in wrinkle city. Last year we played during Halloween. that's the day they go bobbing for oxygen. Q. VVhere do you go after you take off from a show Iohn? A. YVell, Bob goes off to press his hat. XVe go out. have a beer or something like that, try some- thing different. Q. IVhat docs Serendipity mean, john? A. It's a form of mental disease. Q. Peggy . . . A. It means something new and different discov- ered by accident. Q. Nlikc, do you consider yourselves a folk group? A. No. we consider ourselves a pop group. XVe started in folk but we changed. Q. XYhat's coming up in TY. A. YVell. we have a Tonight show, Smothers Brothers and a few Ed Sullivan shows. Q. -Iohn, before you go, I'd like to get a last word from vou. A. Last word? . . . Final. At that point in the discussion, the chaos was abruptly ended when a custodian entered the room and informed all involved that it was tjuit- ting time. The whole group and the Tri-Cf staff left . . . laughing. 19