Dick Cavett is a groovy rocker? TV legend stars in video from Jackson native
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At 87, TV icon Dick Cavett has done it all in show business — except appear in a music video.
Until now, thanks to Marc Ribler, a native of Jackson and the music director of Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul.
The groovy rocker “Dick Cavett,” from Ribler's latest album “Armageddon,” is now a single from Wicked Cool Records —with a video that stars none other than Cavett himself.
“I never dreamed of having a song with my name in the title,” says Cavett in a promotional video about the track.
Ribler and his Story Road outfit — Jack Daley and Charley Drayton — filmed the video for “Dick Cavett” at Cavett's home in Ridgefield, Connecticut. Vincent Pastore of “The Sopranos” and Maureen Van Zandt guest star.
Van Zandt is the wife of Little Steven, the co-writer and producer of “Dick Cavett.” The video was directed by Robert Bader and produced by Little Steven, Rich Russo and Robert Bader.
“He's a mensch,” said Ribler of Cavett, 87. “He's just like us. You can see why people like Muhammad Ali and Groucho Marx revered him and became such close friends with him. You realize why everyone wanted to be on his TV show — it was the renaissance of everything of what we call the greatest period in music and film and culturally.”
“The Dick Cavett Show” debuted on ABC in 1968. In its various incarnations and networks, it was must-see TV for the smart — and groovy — set, thanks to appearances by the greats of Hollywood, edgy intellectuals and rock 'n' rollers.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, George Harrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, the Rolling Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis, Paul Simon, David Bowie and more appeared on the show.
“There were the most crazy cultural things happening — Vietnam, Woodstock,” Ribler said. “He was at the epicenter and everyone wanted to be on his show.”
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The talk show concept was different back then.
“You got to know who they were as people,” Ribler said. “They felt free to express themselves and it wasn't like today. Today it's TikTok and no one has the patience for anything more than five seconds.”
Cavett is having a bit of a moment. “Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes” is currently on HBO Max, and “American Masters: Groucho and Cavett” premiered in 2022 on PBS.
The song “Dick Cavett” is from Riber and Story Road’s new album “Armageddon.” Co-produced by Ribler and Van Zandt, it's full of big hooks, crunchy guitars and rocking riffs.
On April 5 at the Stone Pony, Ribler will be heading a tribute to the legendary Watkins Glen show of July 1973 with the music of the Allman Brothers, Grateful Dead and the Band.
They were the headliners at the Summer Jam at the Watkins Glen Grand Prix Raceway in New York. More than 600,000 attended, making it the largest audience for a pop festival, according to the Guinness Book of World Records.
“It's the perfect hippy concert,” Ribler said.
Go: Marc Ribler’s Watkins Glen Tribute, 7 p.m. Friday, April 5, Stone Pony, 913 Ocean Ave., Asbury Park, $22 in advance, $25 at the door; stoneponyonline.com.
Black Crowes music on boardwalk
If you're into the Watkins Glen sound, chances are you might want to check out the Saturday, March 30, Lost Romance show at Tim McLoone's Supper Club in Asbury Park.
The guys will be playing two sets, one of originals and one of the Black Crowes' “The Southern Harmony and Musical Companion,” played “front to back with an extended eight piece band,” says Lost Romance member Gerry Perlinski.
Guest stars include Kindra Rose, Desiree Spinks and Sandy Mack.
Go: Lost Romance presents: The Southern Harmony & Musical Companion, 8 p.m. Saturday, March 30, Tim McLoone's Supper Club, 1200 Ocean Ave., Asbury Park, $29, timmcloonessupperclub.com.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Dick Cavett stars in song, video from Jersey Shore rocker
